Things Change
by Blitz470
Summary: Title kind of says it all. Pokeshipping in it. Or not...
1. Sometimes history repeats itself

**Disclaimer: Don't own pokemon, only this fan fic and the thoughts in my head.**

* * *

It was another cheery day for our adventurers as they made their way to the bustling city of Veilstone.

"I can't wait to earn my fourth badge" said the young boy with glee in his eyes.

"You know what type of pokemon this leader uses Ash?" asked the blue haired girl curiously.

Ash was too busy day dreaming to hear his friend. The thoughts of him defeating the leader would mean that he would be one step closer to the Sinnoh championship. He had a huge grin on his face at the idea of him holding the champion's trophy, whilst hearing the chant of the large crowd of people chanting his name "ASH!, ASH! ASH!". In his daze he started to subconsciously chant softly his name.

"Ash, Ash".

Dawn looked confusingly over to her other companion; a tall, muscular man with black spiky hair. The learned man cured the girl's confusion.

"He's probably day dreaming again about being a pokemon master" whispered Brock.

Dawn made an o shape with her mouth and then questioned Brock again "Do you think he'll snap out of it soon or should we help him?".

Brock stared at the boy with a silly grin on his face "I'd say leave him, unless he winds up walking into a tree".

"Has he done that before?" asked Dawn with a cheeky grin on her face.

The boy eyed the little lady with a smile "Yeah sometimes, although he tends to do it more often with a little encouragement" he said with a wink.

Dawn the giggled at the idea of Brock subtly leading him into a tree or a large rock. The chuckling awoke the 'champion' from his little dream. Ash turned his head and eyed the two behind him curiously.

"What are you two laughing about?" the boy said partly curious, but also partly nervous about whatever they may be planning.

"Oh nothing Ash, we'd never laugh at you" said the Dawn stifling a laugh.

"Yeah you are the 'pokemon master' after all Ash, Ash". Brock and Dawn contained their laughter at their little inside joke.

Ash just stared at the two "Um thanks" said Ash not seeing the sarcasm "but why did you repeat my name Bro-". His speech was cut short when his face met the tree. His body stopped walking and froze still at the impact and comically slowly slid down the tree. The boy's body fell onto the floor in a slump. His red faced head was throbbing with pain.

"Ow" muttered Ash softly.

He could hear the loud roars of laughter erupt from behind him. Ash stumbled to his feet and glared daggers at his so called 'friends'. His best yellow friend was confused about what had just happened. The lucky little rodent was walking along with Ash and so did not feel the hit from the towering tree. Sadly for Ash since it was looking at Dawn and Brock behind it the little pikachu could not warn him in time.

"Pikapi" said pikachu softly.

"Why didn't you warn me!?!" asked Ash angrily.

"Oh come on Ash cheer up" said Dawn still giggling.

"No" pouted Ash crossing his arms and turning from his friends.

The two friends rolled their eyes at this.

"Oh come Ash, how about we let you choose where to eat" asked Brock in a sing song way.

"And…" asked Ash expectantly.

Brock and Dawn sighed at this "And we'll pay for the meal as well".

"Yeah!" cheered Ash punching the air "Let's get to Veilstone quickly then" Ash's stomach happily agreed with him in a grumble.

Ash raced off in the direction of Veilstone city, leaving a dust cloud behind him. The cloud was kind enough to hit the poor companions of Ash and leave them choking and hacking.

"(cough) why can't (cough) he just wait (cough) for just one second?" said Brock try to wave away the dust.

When the dust subsided they peered ahead to see if they could see Ash, yet the energetic boy had already raced ahead out of sight.

"Come on" said Dawn "We've got to hurry up before Ash gobbles up everything in the restaurant and leaves us with the bill".

"Pikapi".

* * *

After running what felt like a marathon, Ash collapsed just outside the Veilstone city entrance. Ash turned his head to see where his friends where. After seeing no sign of them he smiled greedily to himself.

"Oh well more for me then" the boy said smiling to himself.

"Out loser"

Ash raised his hanging head and looked at the scene before him. He saw a very tall muscular man hurl a shorter blue haired man out of the town. The thrown man had blue hair in two spikes, as it he were the devil himself. Although right now he looked more like a drunk being thrown out of a bar. The man had on him an odd almost futuristic outfit on.

"But how did you defeat me?" the blue haired man questioned "I'm commander Saturn of Team Galactic!"

"Big deal 'champ' and I'm the fricken tooth fairy".

The blue haired man scrambled to his feet and ran off completely ignoring the boy slumped on the floor. Ash looked on as the blue haired man named 'Saturn' raced off.

"Stupid runt" said the tall man darkly.

Ash turned his attention to the man who had his eyes fixated on the man who ran off. The tall man has a fairly muscular appearance and was garbed in a long black cloak with the hood down. As if feeling Ash's eyes on him the man looked down at the kid on the ground. He was a bit surprised at how he was able to miss seeing the boy sitting there. The man just smirked at how much of a child Ash looked right now sitting on the floor gazing up at the adult.

"Hey kid" the man said smugly, the man then slightly bowed and moved his hands behind him to indicate to the city behind him. "Welcome to the city of Veilstone, though I wouldn't recommend you memorise it. It ain't gunna be called that for long" The man then laughed at his inside joke leaving Ash in bemusement.

"Sir we need your help"

A man in all black with black shoes, shirt and cap approached the tall man, however what was on the man's shirt made Ash's heart sink.

"What's the problem champ?"

"There are still some grunts hanging around plus the cargo is giving us some problems"

"Ah well duty calls."

The tall man walked off, followed by the grunt. However what was on the grunt's shirt haunted Ash. 'Please no' thought Ash. The image of a big Red R made Ash sick.

**Well that's that then. If you are wondering about the lack of Misty then she will be in later, don't worry. Though it's my first ever Fan fic I will update at least once a week minimum. And I hope you enjoyed it I guess…**


	2. Fight through the pain

**Right here it is, it's come slightly earlier than expected (no pun intended) and it's slightly longer as well (no pun), but w/e. Enjoy I guess…**

The boy just sat there, trying to let what just happen sink in. The sight of that big red R burning into his mind.

"No it can't be" muttered Ash. "I thought they were gone for good".

The boy was frozen still, feeling sick at the thought of his old enemies back and possibly out for revenge. The image of the R kept vibrating in his mind. Team Rocket was back and they were actually a problem this time. Ash remembered the sight of a man definitely over six foot throwing out a commander of Team Galactic as if he were some common drunk. If they were able to easily throw out a team like Team Galactic, how could Ash stop them?

"(pant) Ash (pant) don't just run off like that" panted Brock.

The young companion looked at Ash confusingly at his state. He had never seen his friend like this before, frozen with his head hanging down. Brock looked behind to see the young girl run up to Brock with pikachu in her hands. Dawn raced over to Brock and keeled over panting heavily.

"Seriously Ash (pant) gives us a warning next time" said Dawn in annoyance.

After not hearing a response or even a grunt, the girl raised her head to see what was what. She looked bemused at the usual excited boy slumped in the ground. Dawn turned to her other friend to see if he knew what was going on. Brock knowing what she was going to ask him just shrugged his shoulders.

"Pikachu do you know what is wrong" asked pikachu's carrier.

"Pi-ka-chu?" asked pikachu.

Brock feeling uncomfortable about the silence and chose to approach the silent 'corpse'.

"What's wrong Ash, restaurants all closed?" joked Brock lightly. "Er Ash" said Brock leaning forward.

Pikachu was losing the will to live and used it's initiative to thundershock Ash into responding. Unfortunley for the surrounding participants they were also hit by the shock. After the painful jolt was over there was a role reversal with Dawn and Brock lying on collapsed on the floor and Ash was shot up. Pikachu looked at the scene before it: Ash was still twinging and moving around after being jolted and Brock and Dawn were lying on the ground, black, crisp and letting off a bit of smoke. Pikachu could not help but notice the faint smell of cooked chicken in the air.

"Seriously pikachu…" puffed Brock.

"pika" apologised Pikachu.

The charred companions arose from their smoky bed and stumbled to their feet. Dawn wiped off the smoke from her clothes and turned to the static boy.

"Ash what's wrong?"

"Well let's see I was just electrocuted by my-".

"No I mean earlier, why were you so quiet?" the girl asked her friend concerningly.

Paling at this Ash said to his good friends and said more to Brock than Dawn.

"I saw this large man hurl out a member of Team Galactic"

"Wow" said Dawn "wait is that what was worrying you?"

"No then had this friend approach him with this Red R on his shirt"

Dawn leaned forward as if expecting something else. When met with silence she looked at Brock for reassurance, however she saw he was shocked. She then turned to Ash who was looking nervously at Brock. 'What is so special about a Red R' thought Dawn to herself. She then imagined the R and then remembered seeing it on the shrits of the Rocket trio that would always attack them, but she could not for the life of her think why the other two were so nervous.

"What's so bad about a guy with a Red R on his shirt?"

Brock turned to his female companion and coughed clearing his throat.

"Well you know those three who follow us trying to steal Pikachu?"

Dawn nodded.

"Well they are part of a group called Team Rocket who are basically the first Team Galactic"

Dawn made another o shape with her mouth.

"Wait" said Dawn quickly "Why were you two so nervous about this".

It was Ash's turn to explain. He sighed and turned to Dawn.

"You see Team Rocket weren't exactly light weights. They were the ones who were dominant through Kanto and even Johto. They were even the creators of the pokemon Mewtwo."

Dawn gasped at this. She then remembered something.

"But you were able to defeat before I'm guessing, twice?"

"Yes" agreed Brock slightly regaining composure "but they were never ones to hurl out someone as powerful as Team Galactic."

The grouped let a heavy sigh, they all nodded in agreement at what must be done.

* * *

The group were standing outside the Vielstone gym. Ash let out a nervous sigh and entered the gym. Ash looked around him seeing people flexing their muscles and lifting weights. Ash cringed at the thought of seeing a body builder type gym leader, tensing their bulging biceps.

"Can I help you?"

Ash turned to see a thin athletic girl with a bandage on her nose and arm. She also had on a pair of blue gloves, loose trousers and a blue tight sleeveless shirt. Her pink hair was spiked side ways that made her look as if she was flying through the air.

"Er yeah do you know where I can find the Veilstone gym leader?"

Dawn, Brock and Pikachu cringed as soon as Ash had said those fateful words, because they could guess what was about to happen. The girl glared angrily at Ash then grabbed his arm twisted it and hurled the young boy into a punching bag. After realising what happened the pain set in and Ash let out a groan.

"Why did you throw me? Oh I get it the gym leader's out and you're upset about that right?"

His friends just groaned at Ash's ignorance. The furious girl swiftly kicked Ash in the stomach knocking the wind right out of Ash. The boy clutched his gut and groaned in pain.

"Why the hell can't a girl be a gym leader? Are you saying I'm not strong enough to be a fighting gym leader?" shouted the furious girl glaring down at Ash.

"No I'm sure you are good enough, but I think you should be careful in case the gym leader comes back and gets angry" wheezed Ash.

"Seriously Ash" Brock mumbled underneath his hand which his face was buried in.

Enough was enough for this gym leader and thought that Ash had earned himself another kick however this time it was in a more sensitive and southern area. An area which made Brock wince in sympathy and for Ash to scream like a little girl.

"I'M THE GYM LEADER!"

After screaming into to Ash and quite possibly preventing him from ever having children, the gym leader turned on her heel and stomped off.

"Oh my goodness" cried Dawn who skipped over to Ash to help him.

The girl was held back by Brock who looked over at her friend.

"Trust me the best thing to do is give him time"

* * *

30 minutes later…

The boy stumbled to his feet and immediately turned to see where the gym leader had gotten to. He felt nervous at the sight of the girl fly through the air and kick a man twice her size in the head and send him to the floor. Ash gulped and limped over to her. Sensing his presence the girl turned to face him.

"What do you want?" she spat at him

"Look I'm sorry for thinking you weren't the gym leader, but I need to tell you about Team Rocket"

The girl just stared at him without bashing a muscular eyelash.

"Yeah I know. They threw out some Galactic Team and now they are going to claim the city. Or so they say."

"Well why aren't you doing something about then" said Ash worriedly.

"Oh wow thanks. I'll go do something about that" said Maylene. "Look I've sent the fighters here and even I've gone along, but we just can't budge them."

"Well maybe we can help. We're quite skilled at Pokemon fighting and I'm sure we can do something about these villains" said Brock respectfully as to not give the girl anymore reasons to neuter guys she's just met.

She stared at Brock then looked at the blue haired girl and then to the rude boy.

"Look protecting the city is my job and I don't want the Pokemon league to punish me."

"How about if I beat you in a battle? Then you'd have no reason not to let me stop them" said Ash optimistically.

"Fine. I guess that works"

"The battle will be the best out of three. Only the challenger may return their Pokemon" stated the referee.

"Alright Pikachu, it's your go"

"pika" squeaked the little mouse

"Go meditite"

The pokeball flew through the air and then cracked open revealing the pokemon sitting with its legs crossed.

"Now quickly use fake out"

Before Pikachu or Ash could do anything, the meditite hit little Pikachu right in the face. Ash winced at the sight of his best friend flinch at the pain.

"Pikachu counter with thunderbolt"

The little yellow mouse charged its cheeks and let loose a powerful bolt towards the foe. Meditite stared at the bolt and then shot across the room.

"What how did that happen?" asked Ash.

"It's called detect and I trained my pokemon to use that whenever it was under attack" Maylene boasted. "Now confusion!" she ordered.

Meditite's eye's glowed bright blue and it raised Pikachu and hurled it into a wall. Ash screamed out for his best friend as he saw the little mouse wince in pain. 'There's got to be something that I can do to stop-wait that's it'. As soon as he remembered what Brock said about defence moves like protect he knew what to do and ordered Pikachu to do another thunder bolt. The electric Pokemon charged up and let loose another bolt to the Meditite. The pokemon instinctively used detect and shot away.

"Pikachu don't stop keep going"

"Running scared already eh?"

Pikachu shot another bolt of lightning at meditate to which it avoided, but when it tried to use detect again it could not use it and was hit by the attack at full force. The painful jolt made the Meditite faint and for Pikachu be declared the winner.

"How did you…?"

"Constant use of the detect move makes it's succession fall after each use. It's even worse when you make your Pokemon use it automatically" Ash remarked smugly

"Wow Ash how did you know that?" said Dawn in awe at Ash.

"Erm well to be honest Brock told me" said a slightly red Ash rubbing the back of his head nervously.

Dawn just shook her head and sighed at this.

"If you think that was easy, just try my Machoke on for size" said Maylene smugly.

"Well I better use it now, go Staravia".

Ash smiled at his knowledge 'I know fighting types are weak against flying types so this battle will be a cinch'. He looked confusingly over to Maylene who was just smiling at him.

"Machoke use foresight to gain a lock on his Staravia".

Machoke stared at the bird Pokemon trying to analyse it perfectly.

"Quick Staravia use wing attack" ordered Ash.

The bird Pokemon flew as fast as it could and swung its wing into the Machoke's face and sent the muscular Pokemon into a wall. Machoke shook its body and got over the pain from the bird Pokemon and braced itself for the next command.

"Now you'll see how I made it to be a gym leader. Machoke rock tomb now!"

The muscular Pokemon ripped out large boulders and hurled them at the bird Pokemon. Due to the speed of the rocks and foresight lock on the attack hit and crushed the bird Pokemon. As the dust subsided Staravia was trapped under the rocks with x's in its eyes.

"Staravia is unable to battle, Machoke is the winner."

"It all comes down to this" said Maylene grinning like a jackal "And I've got just the Pokemon to win this"

And with that Maylene hurled her pokeball out to play.

**Ooooo another cliff hanger. Ain't I a douche? Now as you may have noticed T.R is in the picture so that means that I'll have to introduce O.C. enemies. That's where you the reader enter the scene. Due to my laziness I need one person to be an executive and two more to be associates. So post a review of the following: character name, brief description, personality e.g. silent and strong or smug and smart, w/e (cocky git is already taken), what pokemon you would use, what rank you want and other details you may think is important. Btw this ain't on a first come first serve (no pun intended) so it is on quality not quantity. If you don't make the exec or asso then I will add you as a grunt. If you are reading this after say a few weeks after I posted it (granted the fan fic ain't over) then you might as well post for your character to be included. Right that took longer than expected (again no pun). Oh and this is early due to me wanting to see how long it takes for responses the next post will be on Monday to give people plenty of time.**


	3. Like lambs to the slaughter

**Right it's 12:00 exactly when I posted this. Oh and I forgot to thank pokemaster101 for his review, so thank you very much.**

* * *

The ball cracked open releasing a Lucario. The Pokemon let out a loud roar to emphasise its already fearsome appearance. The blue and black Pokemon bared a disturbingly strong resemblance to the Egyptian God of the underworld Anubis.

"What's that?" Ash asked his Pokedex Dexter.

"Lucario the fighting-steel Pokemon. Lucario can charge up its aura to create physical weapons to attack its enemy."

Ash stared at the fighting Pokemon who was staring intently at Ash waiting for his next move. 'Well since it's a steel type Pokemon it's got to be weak against fire type Pokemon'.

"Go Chimchar" commanded Ash.

The little monkey Pokemon let a squeal of excitement at being chosen by his master, well until it saw who he was up against. The tiny monkey Pokemon looked up at its giant of a foe, towering over it as it were judging its life. The blue eyes bore into the very soul of the Chimchar, scanning its every existence.

"Chimchar don't let it faze you. Use ember"

The Pokemon opened its mouth and shot out little flames at the judge. Lucario effortless dodged the ember and leaped over behind the Chimchar.

"Now force palm".

The fighting Pokemon smashed its palm into the back of Chimchar's head sending it flying into the wall. The little monkey Pokemon groaned, but managed to climb to its feet. The Pokemon glared angrily at its foe and fire started to cover its body. The prime ape's ability blaze sending flames all over its body, empowering its fire attacks.

"Now we're talking, Chimchar use flame wheel"

The little Pokemon rolled into a ball shot itself, hurtling towards Lucario. Maylene just smirked at the perfect opportunity.

"Lucario use bone rush"

The blue Pokemon placed its hands together and then slowly separated them leaving an illumines green bar. The Pokemon then swung the energy bar at the wheel and cracked it away like a baseball. The flaming wheel then ricochet off the wall and shot back at Lucario. The Pokemon then merely hit the wheel away again, however this time Chimchar had picked up speed and shot towards the enemy even quicker. Luckily this time Lucario's bat cracked under the pressure of the heat. Maylene sensing this opted for a different strategy.

"Lucario let's finish this, use aura sphere"

The bone made out of energy dissipated and the hands of Anubis glowed with its blue aura. Its eyes sparked with fury, rage and power. The emotion overflowed from the Pokemon and it roared out the sound of victory. It charged the aura in its hands and shot out a blue ball of aura pulsing at the energy it was emanating. The brave Chimchar hurtled itself towards the ball and collided with it. The collision let out a beautiful explosion of aura and fire spreading around the room. Unfortunately for the fighter the flames and its own aura pelted it like flaming hailstones. The flames and aura burned through the muscle and ebbed away its strength until the Pokemon collapsed to the floor out of energy.

"Lucario is unable to battle the winner is Chimchar"

Chimchar after being blasted the across the room was jumping for joy at its win. Maylene stared at the sight before her and let out a sigh of humility. She offered a few soft words of sympathy for her Pokemon then held out her Pokeball that pulled the Pokemon inside it. She then turned to Ash and smiled at him.

"Well I guess you've earned this"

Maylene approached Ash and held out her hand with the cobble badge on her palm. Ash just stared at her and then realised that he was not just fighting a person stopping him from fighting Team Rocket, but he was also fighting a gym leader. Ash smiled back and gratefully took the badge off her. The girl smiled happily at the great she had experienced and turned on her heel and walked off. Ash looked at her and then remembered.

"Wait what about Team Rocket?"

The girl turned around at Ash and gave him a looked of confusion.

"But Ash we were fighting for the gym badge, I don't remember anything about Team Rocket. But I'll happily battle you again for the chance to stop them".

"What?! But, but we had a deal" Ash spoke exasperatedly.

Maylene turned her head and let out a soft giggle and then said to Ash.

"I'm just kidding with you, Team Rocket are at the department centre. Good luck".

Ash sighed a sigh of relief and smiled at her, nodding in appreciation. Ash turned on his heel and turned to his friends with a smile.

"Well I guess it's time we stop Team Rocket for the final time" said Ash calmly to his three companions.

They nodded silently to him and followed him outside of the gym.

* * *

After the short trek they found themselves outside of the department centre. After letting out a sigh he walked inside. The shop clerk was shaking nervously at hearing the door open.

"Oh thank goodness I thought you were members of Team Rocket"

Ash gave himself a minute to take in the situation around him. The entire shop had been cleaned out. Shelves were empty, cabinets were bare and registers were stripped of cash. Team Rocket were never a graceful bunch and this was shown blatantly through the turned shelves and broken glass on the floor.

"What happened here miss?" Brock questioned.

"This group of thugs just entered. There was a tall man with a cocky grin on his face"

'That sounds familiar' thought Ash.

"And there were a few grunts that all kind of looked a like. There were three other people cloaked up who I could not see. There was also a girl with them who seemed to take charge quite quickly. It all happened so fast the grunts over powered the staff and locked everyone in the basement. They told me to stay here and tell any civilians that the store was closed and to go home. They said if I let them do their business I and the others here would not harmed. Thankfully they kept their promise and they gave me the basement key to let the staff out"

"Where is Team Rocket now?" Brock questioned again.

"They left to take over the Galactic Team building. It's northeast of this building".

"Thank you miss."

The group bowed as a sign of gratitude and left for the Team Galactic building.

* * *

At arrival of the building they noticed several Team Rocket members surrounding it.

"Hey you think this time we will stay bound together this time?" asked the first grunt inquisitively

"Should do, we've actually got good members this time, I mean the fact that they were able to send off Cyrus and his cronies means we've actually got a good chance this time" affirmed the second grunt.

"Sounds good to me" said the first grunt smiling with reassurance.

Hearing the footsteps the grunts focused their attention on the three people and Pokemon in front of them. They eyed the tall black spiky haired boy, the shorter black haired boy with a baseball cap and a blue haired girl with a floppy blue and slight pink hat.

"Hey what are you three doing here?" ordered the first grunt.

"This place is closed off" said the second grunt backing up his team mate.

"I'm Ash Ketchum of Pallet town and me and my friends are here to send you guys out of here".

The grunts looked on at awe of the boy before them.

"Wow you're the Ash Ketchum" said the first grunt placing emphasis on the "the".

"The one who stopped Team Rocket twice?" the second grunt gasped.

'Oh great now their going to swell that already big head of his' thought Dawn. She looked over to Ash who had a big grin on his face.

"Yep now if you don't want to battle the great Ash Ketchum, then you better show us your boss" said Ash proudly.

"Are you kidding?" said the first grunt.

"Yeah if we beat you we'll get the biggest promotion and raise possible".

"Yeah not gunna happen"

They turned to see the cloaked man standing by the doors. Upon closer inspection the man had a normal appearance bar from the earring he was sporting in his left ear and the slight facial hair on his face. 'This must be the smug one' thought Dawn correctly identifying the target.

"What do you mean sir?" the first grunt asked.

"Cause you guys ain't gunna handle him. He'll easily mop the floor with you guys".

The grunts nodded and slinked away. The man smiled and turned his attention to the people before him. He smiled at the boy he met before and then looked over at the other three intruders.

"Well, well, well if it ain't the kid from before and he's brought friends eh?"

"We're here to put a stop to your little plans"

The man just raised an eyebrow at this.

"I'm Ash Ketchum of Pallet town and with my good friends Brock and Misty we defeated Team Rocket twice."

At hearing this the men let out a bellowing laugh. Ash was slightly nervous at this sudden outburst and needlessly to say everyone including the grunts were. The man's laughter slowed down and he wiped a stray tear from his eye.

"Ah that's made my day" said the man happily.

Ash stared at the man who was looking thoughtfully and then the man suddenly turned his attention to Ash with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Ah I haven't laughed like that in days. Say in thanks for that how about I offer an opportunity to meet our member in charge of this whole shindig? You like the thought of that champ?" the man asked.

Ash stared awkwardly at the man. He could not help, but feel that this cocky friendly façade was hiding a darker more mischievous side. Ash turned to his friends who nodded at him showing their support. He looked over to his Pikachu who simply smiled at him.

"Fine we'll go"

"Great. Oh and by the way it's my friends and I champ" the man said smugly

'Yep he's definitely the smug one' thought Dawn. The man smiled and indicated for them to follow him. He walked briskly off into the building with the children following him. 'Heh heh like lambs to the slaughter' the man thought to himself.

* * *

Whilst walking through the large area Ash could not help, but notice where the stolen goods were put. Well notice was an understatement. Team Rocket was never good at being clean and orderly and now was not unlike any other times. As they approached deeper into the building they could see all the packages and goods moving to where they were going. 'Looks like whoever we're going to meet, they seem to be in charge of the whole operation' Ash thought to himself. The group finally approached the hall where everything was taking place. Ash saw grunts running about moving packages to the teleportals where they were unsurprisingly teleported.

"Right well I think you can spot who's in charge. Good luck" said the man smiling darkly.

He turned around and walked off proudly, if that were possible. Ash saw looked on at awe of the grunts running busily like worker ants carrying boxes with them. He heard a woman ordering everyone around bossily. Ash focused his attention on the nearby woman. She was wearing the typical rocket outfit with a pair of shorts with long thigh length boots, a black shirt and belt and a hat. He stared at the back of the girl and saw she was slightly taller than him with fiery orange hair. The girl feeling eyes burning into her back she turned around. Ash froze at what he saw and his heart sunk into his stomach.

"Ash?"

"Mi- Misty?"

**

* * *

**

Didn't expect that did you? Or you may have and had picked up on the clues. I've noticed how my cocky tone has possibly alienated my audience so I'll drop it. Now due to the lack of suggestions or requests on I've decided to make up my own . I've taken inspiration from organisation 13 though so it's not entirely my own design. You can probably notice how the cocky guy is similar to Luxord. So please rate and review. Thanks for reading.


	4. Nostalgia is a cruel mistress

**It's back. Oh and thank you ****pokemaster101** **for your plentiful reviews and I apologise for mistaking you for a boy. Awkward… anyway here's the next chapter.**

* * *

It felt like hours past. Ash just stood there mouth wide open at the sight before him. His best friend was with Team Rocket and it did not looked forced either. So many possibilities and excuses were running through his head. 'Surely there some mistake' he argued, but the sight of a Team Rocket suit tainting her skin destroyed that idea. 'Maybe she's being forced to do it' he persuaded to himself, but he knew full well that someone being made to do something against their will would not be so vocal and practical in this forced act. Ash was in denial.

Dawn however was angry at this. She could not believe that their 'friend' that they had spoken so highly of, had joined Team Rocket. True she never met her until know, but she could only imagine how her companions must be feeling and that made her angry. She could feel the pain of her nails digging into her white clenched hands. She remembered Ash showing off his lure of her winking in a peace pose. 'Hypocrite' Dawn mentally spat. Then she remembered Ash and Brock's description of who 'she' was when Dawn asked a about the lure's giver. She clenched her fists at the soft words they gave of her and how they had travelled with 'her'. She was now close to attacking the girl before her, when she remembered Ash snapping at Dawn for borrowing the lure. Right now Dawn would love nothing more than to snap that little lure. Dawn was angry

Little Pikachu, sat on Ash's shoulder and was desperate to leap into Misty's arms. The mouse stared intently at Misty and if its memory served it well it knew that Misty was a loving person and enjoyed nothing more than holding the little mouse. The little mouse was begging its body to move off out of Ash's body and into the warm body of Misty. It was going through this foolish idea that it could bargain with Misty by offering its love then the girl may in return give her love and loyalty to it in return, though it wanted its master to share in that as well. Pikachu was bargaining.

Brock felt sick. He did not believe his eyes. There stood one of his oldest friends with a Team Rocket suit. Brock felt a cold chill in his body as he stared into the cerulean eyes of 'her'. The thought of her name made Brock want to curl up and cry. Feeling the prick of salty tears to betray his normal rock hard appearance was held back. Brock was depressed.

They all were feeling grief at the sight before them, but whether or not they would make it through the tunnel and experience acceptance was unknown. Suffice it to say that no could accept seeing their best friend turncoat.

"Ash?" Misty repeated softly.

The girl stared at Ash who was just blankly staring at her. He was clearly in deep thought. She sighed and took a step closer and looked intently into his eyes. To say that she wished she had not seen him was a lie, but she did wish it was under better circumstances. She snapped her fingers in front of him to try and awaken him. At hearing this, his head shot up and he grabbed Misty's arm, much to her shock and slight joy.

"Misty what's wrong? Have they hurt you?" Ash asked in a concerned tone.

Misty smiled at Ash and then freed her arm she leaned forward and gave Ash a little wink.

"I'm here on my own accord Ash" she said flirtatiously.

Ash was slightly confused at Misty's behaviour. He was confused why she was taking this so light heartedly.

"They've brainwashed you haven't they Mist?" he spoke giving her, her nickname.

Misty smiled at the childhood nickname he had affectionately given her. Remembering all the times they had gone through she looked at the child in front of her and smiled at his innocence and denial at what was going on. She took a brief glance of the people behind him. She saw her good friend Brock was clearly trying to hold back tears at the sight of Misty. She then saw a blue haired girl glaring angrily at her with clenched teeth and fists. 'This must be the new May' thought Misty to herself. She looked to see Pikachu whose smile brightened her heart. She had to fight the urge to pick up the little mouse and hug it. Misty then looked back to her naïve friend and smiled.

"Still naïve as ever Ash" she said smiling.

"Don't worry Misty I'll defeat Team Rocket's hold on you." he said assuredly.

"Oh" Misty said with a mischievous smile "And how is the 'Pokemon master' going to do that?"

Ash was a bit taken a back by this and once again his heart had over taken his mind. Dawn however was furious at how Misty was not sobbing and hugging her friends and saying she was sorry. 'Doesn't she care about them?' thought Dawn to herself. Ash was still in deep thought till he decided to use the same solution he always uses.

"I know a battle will awaken the real Misty, because I know nothing could stop my buddy Mist from a good battle with her friends."

Needless to say Misty felt incredibly touched at this. She smiled softly and looked at Ash for a while.

She sighed and said "Tell you what Ash if you win I'll come back with you guys"

At hearing this Ash immediately perked up and produced a giant grin on his face. A grin so infectious his friends started to smile, even a passing grunt smiled, until he was ordered to get back to work.

"But…" Misty said stretching the word out "If I win I get something in return" she said giving Ash a wink.

"Huh? What kind of thing?"

"Oh you'll see" Misty said giggling.

Dawn and Brock looked at confusion at what she could mean. 'She doesn't mean for him to join team Rocket does she?' Dawn thought worriedly to herself. Ash had the exact same thoughts Dawn did, but he knew it was worth it, if he had a chance to save his best friend.

"I'll do it" said Ash smiling.

The energetic boy got ahead of his self and commanded his Pikachu to enter the stage. However Ash noticed something was wrong when he looked and did not see his little mouse hop past him onto the battlefield. He turned his head to discover his Pikachu had done its trademark act when it did not want to fight. The little mouse had gotten into a sleeping bag and was facing away from him. Misty could not help, but giggle at this.

"Traitor" muttered Ash "Fine I don't need Pikachu to defeat you."

Just as Ash was reaching for his Staravia's Pokeball, he heard Misty say stop. He looked up from his belt and sees the girl with her eyes closed and with her hand out indicating him to stop. She opened one eye and smiled at Ash.

"Remember Ash. Ladies first." She said with a wink.

Misty grabbed a Pokeball from her belt and threw it out. The ball cracked open revealing her Corsola. Ash saw her Corsola and decided against using his Staravia. 'I can't use my Staravia as Corsola is a rock type and I can't use Chimchar as it's a fire type. Nor can I use Pikachu for another reason' Ash thought and then turned to glare at the sleeping Pokemon. He knew what Pokemon to use and reached for Turtwig's Pokeball and sent it out. The ball broke open releasing Turtwig.

"Still need the type advantage eh Ash" said Misty teasingly.

Ash frowned at her and turned to Turtwig and used its Pokeball.

"Turtwig return" ordered Ash.

The beam of red pulled the grass Pokemon back to its Pokeball and he reached around for another Pokeball.

"Go Chimchar" ordered Ash.

The ball opened revealing the fire Pokemon energetic and ready to go.

"Wow I really get under your skin don't I Ash Ketchum?" said Misty teasingly again. Relishing at his annoyed facial expression she added to Brock, but mostly at Ash "Hey Brock would you mind umpiring so Ash doesn't get any excuses afterwards".

"Sure Misty" said Brock complying.

"So Ash what do you want the rules to be? I don't want another time where you deny my victory" said Misty haughtily.

Ash knew what she was getting at and beat her to the punch "Me deny it? I was winning that battle you were just lucky Team Rocket showed up to save you"

Misty's calm exterior broke and she stared angrily at Ash and shouted at him.

"I was the one winning, even though you decided to switch your Butterfree out when it was in the water and used a cheap tactic."

"Guys chill. How about a simple two on two" Brock said trying to compromise the bickering duo.

"I'm fine with that. What about you Ash?"

"I'm fine with it. Now make your move"

Misty smiled and ordered her Corsola to use spike cannon. The little pink coral Pokemon aimed at the monkey Pokemon and shot repeated blasts at it.

"Quick dodge" ordered Ash.

Chimchar rolled to one side, getting hit slightly in the side by the spikes. The little fire Pokemon winced and held its side.

"Don't give up Chimchar! Use fire spin"

Corsola seeing this jumped to one side, but the fires being spread out circling the area until they encased the rock Pokemon. The unavoidable fires caught the Pokemon until it climbed high and perfectly trapped Corsola in a fiery tornado.

"Great job, now use flamethrower"

The Pokemon who was already releasing flames from its mouth to power the fire spin then let loose a powerful blast of fire into the tornado almost letting it explode. After what felt like an eternity, Ash smiled to himself and ordered.

"Great job Chimchar, but that's enough"

The little Pokemon and stopped powering the fire spin, which gradually dissipated revealing a fainted Corsola with X's in its eyes. Ash's grin returned and covered his face.

"Alright! 1-0 to me!" he said boisterously.

"Not so fast!" Misty shouted. "Now Corsola use recover".

The weakened Pokemon went a bright white, until it was now back on its feet healthy. Ash and Chimchar just stared at what had just happened. They had put so much energy into one attack and now the Corsola was healthy as if nothing had happened.

"And you called me cheap" said Ash in an annoyed tone.

Misty glared at him then ignored him and told her Corsola to use bubblebeam. The coral Pokemon let loose at jet of bubbles that flew to the monkey at an alarming speed.

"Quick use ember" Ash shouted.

Chimchar retaliated with little flames that spread the arena, popping the bubbles as they met, in a pretty display. Dawn just looked on at the pretty display and made mental notes for her next contest.

"Now use flame wheel"

The little Pokemon rolled into a ball and covered its body with flames. The Pokemon spun and spun and spun till it gained enough momentum to rocket itself to the rock Pokemon. The nervous little coral Pokemon could only look on as the flame wheel came closer and closer.

"Now use bubblebeam to slow it down"

The pink Pokemon nodded and let loose a barrage of bubbles at the wheel. As they assaulted the fires they not only doused them, but also greatly slowed Chimchar down to point where the Monkey was just rolling towards the Corsola. The Monkey Pokemon still collided with the Coral Pokemon, barely hurting either of them.

"It's time to end this again" said Ash emphasising on the "again" "Chimchar use fire spin followed by flamethrower".

The Chimchar happily complied and shot out another jet of fire at the Corsola that circled and soon trapped it, but not before Misty ordered it to use mirror coat. The flames rose high into the sky pulling the coral Pokemon with it, then the Chimchar let all hell loose and fired a flamethrower directly into the tornado. Ash was smiling with his usual smile until he saw a bright white spark in the blaze, however as soon as he saw it, then shot out a great blast that hit the little Chimchar in the torso knocking it to the ground. Ash just stared at what had happened. He was winning and then suddenly his Pokemon was hit by some power that knocked it out in one hit. He looked over to Misty and saw her looking a bit unusual. He saw a weird energy around, as if he could see her very aura.

Misty winked at Ash and teasingly added "like what you see Ash?"

Ash realising he was staring felt nervous around his friends for some reason. He could also feel his cheeks heat up, but he could not put his finger on why it was. Misty however was relishing at the sight before her. Ash shook his head to regain some composure and recalled his Chimchar. He threw out his Pokeball and sent out the previous Pokemon. The Turtwig stared at its enemy from before, the same pink coral Pokemon with a few scratches.

"Quick use razor leaf"

In a flash the turtle Pokemon swung it head around a flung several leaves hurtling towards the pink Pokemon. Being a rock type Corsola could not avoid the flurry and it got pelted knocking the wind out of it. Due to the power the leaves sent the Corsola flying into a wall firmly knocking it unconscious. Ash jumped for joy when he saw what he and his Pokemon had done. Misty ran to pick up Pokemon. After exchanging a few words of thanks she returned it to its ball for rest. She looked up to Ash and smiled.

"Time to end it Ash."

She threw out her Pokeball revealing her Staryu. The starfish Pokemon spun around the room circling the turtle.

"Use rapid spin"

The Pokemon who had already gained enough momentum from spinning almost tore the little turtle from spinning so much like a propeller. Its continuous hits smack the grass Pokemon to the wall.

"Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine. Turtwig synthesis!"

The turtle glowed a bright white and was now firmly on its feet smiling confidently. The boy then ordered Turtwig to use razor leaf at which point the turtle flung a large array of leaves to the propeller Pokemon. Sadly for Ash Staryu just cut through the leaves and it didn't stop there. The brave star spun again at the turtle and made a direct hit on it. Ash just looked on at how the Staryu could produce so much power. He caught a glimpse of the gem and it was glowing a bright red, brimming with an abundance of energy. Ash, never being the one to give up, ordered turtwig to perform another razor leaf.

"Nice try Ash. Quick use counter"

Staryu flew into the leaves taking the hits as they came. When the star made it though the barrage it then shot itself into the turtle knocking it across the floor. As the Pokemon skid along the floor the friction from the motion burned the little turtwig's body causing even more pain for it.

"Recover quickly by using synthesis"

"Nice try Ash, but it's time to finish this Staryu use double edge".

The Star flew at great speed, faster than Ash had ever seen it move and it collided into the turtle. The pain coursed through the Turtwig bringing its body to give up and faint. Staryu however did not look harmed.

"Turtwig is unable to battle. Misty is the winner".

At hearing this, the grunts who were on looking were cheering at their boss wining. Ash's friends however felt their hearts sink. 'Please no. Please don't make him join Team Rocket' thought Dawn. Ash picked up his Turtwig and thanked it for its help. He then returned it to its Pokeball and let out a sigh.

"You win Misty. I'll guess I'll have to get used to those Rocket uniforms".

Misty stared at Ash and then let out a soft giggle. The sound caused Ash and his companions to raise their heads. The orange head girl placed a hand on her hips and curved her lips.

"Whoever said I wanted you to join Team Rocket"

"Wait. But I thought you…?"

Misty just smiled at the flustered boy, who was clearly shocked yet delighted at the fact of not having to join Team Rocket. She just took a few steps forward until she was staring face to face with Ash. The energetic boy was uncomfortable with the proximity and silence that the orange haired girl was giving him. The girl snaked her arms to the back of his neck and closed the gap between them. She stared intently into his eyes, watching them sparkle. She parted her soft lips slowly so there was slight inviting gap. Misty who was enjoying the moment let out a soft sigh of content. Ash, being the boy he was, was frozen in place feeling his cheeks and body heat up. Misty smiled sweetly at him and pulled his head forward as she leaned forward. Misty let out a sigh as she felt his lips touching hers ever so softly. She relaxed her body and softly moved her lips against his. Poor Ash on the other hand had no idea what had gotten into Misty or him for that matter. He could feel his body get more stuck in place and the strong heat in his body rise in temperature. He also felt this strong urge to wrap his arms around her body, but he did not know why. After what felt like a few seconds of bliss had passed Misty slowly broke the kiss and stared back into Ash's eyes. She moved her hand from his neck and placed one finger on his chest and prodded him. The weak force was more than enough to knock the young boy back and to fall backwards and hit his head causing an instantaneous black out.

**

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Right first things first, after reading the second chapter and enjoying a slice of humble pie I'd like to apologise to my readers for the arrogant tone and I'm sorry if it annoyed any of you. You may be nervous about why I made Misty part of the baddies (I know at least one person for sure:p), so don't worry the story won't end here;). Stay tuned for the next exciting instalment and please tell what you thought of it so far.


	5. Will you remember me in three years time

**Should have mentioned this earlier, Ash is 13 in the previous chapters**.

* * *

The boy groaned and looked around him closing his eyes at the strong bright lights in the ceiling shone down on him. He noted that the room around him was white and very sterilised. He noticed he was still in his clothes, but he had been placed in a bed. It didn't take a genius to see that Ash was in a hospital. 'What happened to me' thought Ash rubbing his sore bed.

"Oh you're awake"

He looked over to see the soft smile of a certain Miss Joy. The boy looked behind her to see if his friends where with her, but he could not see Dawn, Brock or his pet Pikachu. He looked at Nurse Joy with a questioning look and as if she could read his mind she gave a comforting smile and told answered him.

"Your friends are outside, giving you some time to rest"

"What happened to me?"

"I think it would be best if your friends would explain it to you"

And with that Nurse Joy turned around to go fetch his friends. Ash was now left alone. A feeling he did not like. After years of being surrounded by people, he was finally left alone with his thoughts. An uncomfortable feeling swept over him. In his brief solitary moment his mind thought back to what happened. 'I remember a gym battle, that cocky guy from before and then seeing this girl, then nothing.' At hearing the sound of doors opening he turned his attention immediately to the direction of the noise. He smiled at his good friends before him, as they smiled back relieved that he was ok.

"Oh thank goodness you're ok" said Dawn relieved.

"Hey guys, what happened? All I remember is Maylene, a cocky guy and then some girl"

Brock and Dawn looked at each other nervously at having to fill the gaps for Ash. As if playing a game of mental rock paper scissors, Brock let out a sigh and turned to Ash.

"You see Ash the girl you saw was Misty"

"What? No that can't be right Misty would never-"

Ash cut himself off as memories of what had happened came flooding back. He remembered Misty and there brief argument. He remember being happy at first to see her and then upset. He remembered their battle to which he lost. He then remembered his 'forfeit' at which he blushed profusely.

"What happened to me"

"Well Misty poked your chest and due to you being erm 'frozen' in place you fell back and hit your head knocking you out."

Ash blushed a darker red at their description of the events and remembering again why he was 'frozen' in place. He could feel his lips tingle at the thought of touching Misty's again.

"Well after that Misty ordered the grunts to stand down and told us to take you from here and to a hospital"

"Why did she do that to me?" Ash asked

"I think it's because we were in the Team Rocket base and since she beat you then the grunts would have pounced on a weak enemy so by giving you concussion she had a good excuse to expel us" said Dawn thoughtfully.

Ash went silent and thought for a while. 'If she had a good reason for knocking me out then she must have a good reason for joining Team Rocket. I just know it'. An awkward silence approached the group as Ash was thinking about Misty. The others knew better than to interrupt Ash's train of thought and left him a few minutes to think. Eventually Ash snapped out of his thoughts and turned to his friends smiling.

"So are we still going to stop Team Rocket" Ash asked energetically.

His friends replied with a smile at his new found confidence. Brock looked at his oldest friend happy that he was still ready to stop Team Rocket, though maybe this time for a different reason. Dawn just looked on in admiration at how he was able to meet a problem and immediately climb over it. And his little Pikachu just gave the usual loving look that he always gave his master.

"Um Ash I don't mean to doubt your abilities, but Misty is only a grunt rank maybe even scrapping an associate rank and she managed to defeat you quite quickly. Surely we should take the time to increase our skills or we'll never manage to stop those executives."

Ash just sat there on the hospital bed for once thinking logically and nodded slowly. 'He's right. If I can't stop Misty then I can't stop the higher ups' Ash then thought strongly about his battle with Misty and remembered seeing a strange light cloud around Misty.

"Guys did you notice anything different about Misty when she was battling me?"

Brock and Dawn looked to one another and then to Ash in a shared bout of confusion. Brock then thought about the battle and did not see anything different then what he had usually seen from the other battles she had, had with Ash. She was competitive, energetic and happy. 'Nope seems normal to me, well as normal as normal could be in those circumstances".

"Nope" said Dawn shaking her head.

"Not that I could see" responded Brock.

'Then what was that around her then' Ash thought concerningly. He remembered when he had the power to control his aura; it looked as if she was a Lucario. There's one thing that Ash knew and that was he needed to get out of the hospital as quickly as possible to start his training.

* * *

After being cleared from the hospital Ash turned his to the Veilstone gym where he hoped he would get some tips as he entered however he saw a familiar face.

"Well done I guess you earned this".

"I should think so".

Ash stared at the spiky haired boy in his usual cargo trousers and blue jacket. The boy wore his usual frown and just snatched the badge from the gym leader's hand. He turned his attention to the exit and saw his rival. The boy walked up to his rival and just silently glared at him. Breaking the silence Paul made one of his usual jeers.

"Bit late to get your badge as usual I see".

Glaring at this Ash responded with "Actually I've got my badge"

Ash took out his trainer case and opened it showing off his Veilstone badge. Ash the grinned at Paul's shock and relished at the fact that he had beaten Paul to getting the badge first. 'How did he get here before me?' Paul thought to himself angrily. He was infuriated by the happy grin on Ash's face. It did not make things better for his anger to see his friends behind him smiling at Paul's fall from grace.

"Then why the hell would you come back here then" Paul spat venomously

"We came here to get some tips on battling from Maylene"

At hearing this Paul glared at the boy before him. 'This weakling laughed at me and he's the one who's come back for help' thought Paul angrily. He clenched his fists until they turned white. After a while of fighting the urge to hit Ash he let out a sigh and got ready for his next spit.

"So you defeated this gym leader and now you're back for tips from her. You really are an idiot aren't you?" said Paul viciously.

Hearing this Ash's smile was replaced with a frown, as was his friends. Ash was not what you would called 'book smart', but he was able to think on his feet and always able to find some sort of way around a problem. Although he knew this he certainly did not enjoy being insulted, especially when he knew he was right.

"I'll have you know we are here to gain some tips about Team Rocket."

"Why would you worry about those losers?" Paul asked inquisitively.

"Look Team Rocket is back and this time rather than it just being the Team Rocket trio, the entire organisation is back. They've easily sent Team Galactic packing and Mi- I mean one of their own grunts defeated me easily."

Paul mentally smirked at this. Of course he would never show a true smile to anyone. He had to admit this made his day. His rival was having trouble defeating one little grunt. Just as he was about to boast about handling the organisation by himself he his logically side spoke out. 'Remember you didn't exactly defeat him at once. If you had trouble beating him imagine trying to stop one of their higher ups'. Paul thought for a while and realised that this Team Rocket might be tricky to stop.

"Why should I care?" Paul remarked apathetically.

"Do you honestly think that they are going to leave a strong trainer like you alone?"

Ash, Brock, Pikachu and Paul looked in surprise at the blue haired girl who had spoken up. Dawn was not unknown to speak her mind, but in matters with Paul and Ash's rivals she normally stayed out of it and left Ash to it.

"Do you think that Team Rocket is going to let you keep you Pokemon so you can be a better trainer and some day challenge them?" Dawn shouted at Paul.

Paul just stood there thinking. He was partly trying to regain composure from the sudden outburst from the blue haired girl and partly thinking about what she said. 'I guess she makes sense. I can't be better if Team Rocket stops me and I can't stop Team Rocket on my own either…'

"So what do you propose then" Paul asked to Dawn.

Dawn was slightly taken a back by this and found herself a loss for words. She did not expect to be asked what to do and therefore did not think of an appropriate plan. She turned to Ash for help. The boy was also at a loss for words and at this point he alwas turned to his 'older brother' for advice. Brock smiled and offered his idea.

"Simple we go about our usual routine"

"Erm, seriously?" Paul said dubiously.

"Yes. If we go and start fighting Team Rocket they will crush us. But if we go like any normal trainer building up our Pokemon and getting badges and secretly getting tips from the gym leaders then we should be able to stop Team Rocket."

The group nodded at Brock's usual logically and agreed to the plan.

* * *

Three long years had past and the group with Paul had built up their Pokemon to their best possible standard. Even Paul felt proud of his Pokemon. The plan from Ash was to go to Veilstone where he would get his own back on Team Rocket who had stolen his best friend from him. Ash had obtained all eight badges and with Brocks advice had entered the Sinnoh championship, but ended in the top eight to not draw suspicion and Paul followed suit. Ash although not happy to do so, was fine with throwing away the tournament if it meant saving his friend.

The group found themselves outside the large city. Ash felt a strong flashback of the tall blond man throwing out the blue haired man. He let out a sigh and entered the city, but what made him sick was the ex-Team Galactic building. It was in ruins. The building should now be called the ex-Team Rocket building. He looked and saw that the building has been left derelict and would not surprised if it had already been sold to be demolished or refurbished. Ash fell to his knees in disappointment. He had lost his chance.

"Ah. Cheer up champ."

Hearing this Ash's ears perked up and he turned his attention to the tall robed figure behind him. He man smiled and moved off the wall he was leaning on. Paul just stared at the man before him. 'This must be one of their members'. The rest of the group just stared daggers at the man.

"My, my, my what a frosty reception and after I reunited you with you friend despite it being short lived"

Ash felt his anger boil inside him. He knew he should be grateful that the man showed him his friend, but he knew that the man was not doing it out of the goodness of his heart. Sadly for Ash he did not know he wanted Ash to feel anger.

"Oh I'm sorry did I hit a nerve?"

Ash held back his anger and said calmly "What do you want?"

"Ah so harsh and to think I was going to give you this"

The man held between his index and middle finger a card with an image on it. Before Ash could get a good look at his blue card he retracted the card back into his palm and placed it back in his pocket.

"Wait. What is that" Ash asked.

The man smiled and took the card out of his pocket and held it again in the same way as before. He titled the card so Ash could get a better look on it. From what he could see Ash saw there were several lines and symbols as well as arrows.

"What is that?"

"Well champ this is a nice little map of the Rocket Sinnoh base"

Ash gasped at this. He knew he must obtain this if he were to ever have a chance at saving Misty. No matter what the costs Ash was going to get that card. Even if it meant giving this man the respect he so clearly did not deserve.

"Would you please give us that card?" Ash said swallowing his pride.

The man threw back his head and let out a loud bellowing laugh. He turned his head to face Ash and smiled at him. A faint glint in his eye sparkled as he was about to speak.

"Tell me are you a gambling man?"

Ash was a bit taken a back by this question. He knew he wasn't one to gamble, take risks yes, but not gamble. However if he had to gamble then so be it.

"It depends on the prize"

The man chuckled again and said "Here. First one's always free"

The man threw the card at Ash who caught it careful not to damage it. He took a good look at the location of the base in case the man was to destroy the card. As Ash stared at the card another question popped into his head.

"Wait. When I was fighting Misty I saw this strange aura around her. What was that?"

The man smiled and replied shortly "Oh that's just a little gamble that we Rockets all put into our battles"

And with that he snapped his fingers, which Ash found odd as he was wearing gloves, though what was a greater oddity was the ground beneath him went a dark black and he sunk into his own shadow before disappearing. Ash just stared at the man for a few minutes before regaining his composure. He looked at the card and promised mentally 'I promise you Misty I will save you from Team Rocket'.

**

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With one answer come several questions. I hope you enjoyed it. As always please read and review.


	6. Making new friends

**Right here's the next chapter.**

* * *

The group just stared at where the ambiguous man had once stood, but had now melded into his shadow. After getting over the shock the boy looked down into his hand where it held a blue map card.

"What's that you got there Ash?" Dawn asked her friend.

Ash turned to his friend and looked down at the card and then turned back to look at his friend. He held out the map to Dawn. The girl gratefully received the card and stared at it trying to understand the card. The others in the group came over to look at the card in the girl's hand. Brock being the academic that he is understood the card immediately and noticed where it was indicating.

"Ash what is this?" the little girl piped up.

"I think it's some sort of map" noted the learned man.

He traced his finger along the lines of the map trying to figure out the location of the base. Brock threw his bag round from his back so that he could open it. He then unzipped the bag and took out a map. The spiky haired man scanned the map and darted eyes from the map to the card and back and forth until he concluded the location.

"Iron Island is the location"

The group were surprised at how quickly Brock was able to deduce the base's location, but they knew it would be him to solve it. Ash could feel his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. He thought the base was in battle frontier area and could not believe how he could have got that mixed up with the real location thousands of miles away. He really hoped no one would notice his facial expression.

* * *

They made it to Canalave City and looked in search for a sailor to take them to Iron Island.

"We've got to find someone here who can take us to Iron Island."

At hearing this a sailor who was checking his boat turned to the group. The burly man coughed slightly to get their attention. The group of friends turned to the burly sailor to see what he wanted to say.

"I've noticed this group with black shirts with Red R's on them moving out to that Island. I tried to go there myself, but they always tell me to get lost".

"Really? Do you know what they are doing there?" Ash inquired.

"Most I know is that they are building something" the sailor responded.

The group went silent, each thinking why on earth Team Rocket would want to go to Iron Island. 'I guess Iron Island is secluded enough to go there, but why that place in particular' thought Brock to himself.

"Would you mind taking us to that Island?" Dawn asked politely.

The sailor turned his attention to the girl and smiled. He looked at her like a father to his daughter. He couldn't deny that little smile his help.

"Certainly, but I'll need some time to get ready."

The group nodded and went off to give the man time to prepare his boat.

They made their way not too far off from where the boat was to talk about their current problem. They conversed about the blond man who had helped them by giving them a map to the secluded base.

"Why do you think he would help us"? Dawn questioned.

"It might be a trap though" stated Brock.

"Well regardless of that we have to take whatever chances we can take to stop Team Rocket"

"Even if it is a trap I'm sure we could easily handle whatever they have prepared for us. Well I know could" Paul stated as if it was a fact.

Brock, Pikachu and Dawn's thoughts drifted onto Misty. They looked at Ash who was deep in thought. They wanted to talk about her and see if he was ok and what to do about her, but they knew Ash did not want to talk about Misty. Brock remembered all the times when after he was done training with Ash and they had gone to sleep and hearing Ash mumble her name in his sleep.

"Right I'm ready to go" the smiling sailor shouted to the group.

The group got up from where they were sitting and walked over to the impressive boat. The sleek boat was not built for comfort or size, but it was definitely built for speed. The boat could probably take them to the Island in a matter of minutes, which made the impatient spiky haired boy all the more happier.

* * *

After the short boat trip the group found themselves looking at the changed Iron Island. There were large boats hoarding large amounts of cargo with grunts surrounding these boats to move them onto the island. Ash noted the large drill on top of the mountain 'They must be trying to drill for something' Ash thought mentally stating the bleeding obvious. Ash looked across the Island and saw a group of people enter the cave. He saw two grunts with a cloaked figure in between them. He could not get a good look at the person all he could tell was that they were one of the higher ups.

"Hey what are you doing here? This place is restricted"

The group looked to a grunt who was standing on one of the large boats near them. He was holding a megaphone to make sure that they would hear him.

"We are here to send you guys out of Iron Island"

"Hah and how do you plan to do that? You're just a kid"

Ash felt a bit taken a back by this. He thought that after three years he would look a bit more mature. He noticed that he had become more muscular and even saw bits of hair growing on his chin. He refused to shave them despite pleas from Dawn as he claimed that they were a sign of manliness. Despite the arguments from Dawn that they didn't suit him and little random patches of hair didn't count as a beard, he just ignored her and kept his hair. Even at the full age of sixteen he hoped he looked more like a man so people would treat him like an adult. He felt a soft whisper in his ears that snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Listen since my Pokemon have greater endurance I'll take out all these little grunts. You and the others go in and sort out whoever's in charge."

Ash merely nodded and indicated for the sailor to roar the boat up to the coast of the Island. The sailor responded by increasing the acceleration of the boat to move between the barricade and to the coast. The group jumped off and ran to the entrance. Ash indicated Dawn and Brock to follow him while Paul handles the grunts. The group split up whilst Paul drew the grunt's attention. Ash ran through the cave till he came across the group he saw entering. Ash felt his voice caught in his throat when he saw the robed figure. After three years his hormones although did not make Ash feel strongly towards wanting to 'be' with girls they certainly did make him notice women more. Although this person was robed the figure was not hindered by it. The robe fit her body perfectly showing off her curves, her slim frame and even heightened her hourglass figure.

The cloaked figure looked around the dim cave glaring at the loud sounds. 'Great I have to be the one in this hell hole' the woman thought to herself. She turned around, after checking to see that the area she came down to was secure; saw a group of 'kids'. 'Great kids, I really hate kids' she thought angrily. She looked at the boy with the cap on his head. She noticed that he had little patches of hair of his face and giggled at this. 'How cute' she thought. She then turned her head to the blue haired girl with the shortest skirt she had ever seen. 'That must his groupie' she mentally noted. She then darted her eyes quickly to the tanned muscular man with squinted eyes. 'Hmm he looks strong, though not as strong as the other men in Team Rocket still a kid' thought the girl again giggling to herself. She noticed that the people before her were confused by her constant giggling. She smiled to herself and removed her hood

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm realre" the woman stated with a smile.

"Erm hello. Erm Why are you guys here?" said Ash slightly nervous and blushing.

'Stupid kid. He's embarrassed about talking to a girl'. She just eyed the young boy with interest 'I think I could use this to my advantage'.

"Say shouldn't I be asking that question?" the blond haired girl said with a wink.

Feeling his cheeks get hotter Ash found it hard to speak. He thought that it would be a bad idea to say that one of the Team Rocket members helped them so he had to think on his feet.

"Did a blond guy by any chance help you?" the girl questioned with a smile.

"Why do you ask" Ash asked again trying to avoid the question.

"Oh he's always off doing something" she said rolling her eyes.

"We were in Canalave City and we heard about Team Rocket being here so we came to stop you" Ash lied.

"Ah how sweet of you. Well to answer you we're here just drilling for iron. Speaking of drilling are you the 'special friend' of Misty" said the girl with a wink.

At this Ash went redder than a beetroot. Usually this is a silly metaphor, but if you were there you would agree so. Ash didn't know why he was embarrassed by this statement about Misty, but for some reason he was. After enjoying the long moment of watching Ash squirm she spoke to him kindly.

"Are you by any chance looking for Misty?"

Ash broke out of frozen state to respond with an energetic "Yes!"

"The bad guys have Misty locked away. And you, as the hero, need to go save her!" the girl said dramatically and pointed to an area behind her.

Ash gasped then nodded and started to run to the area before he felt a swift kick to his jaw almost cracking it. Ash fell to the floor and groaned in pain grabbing his jaw. The pain was so excruciating that he felt close to tears.

"I'm one of the bad guys" said the girl with a smile.

She then turned to the grunts behind her she told one of them to go and see what was happening outside. She then turned to the feminine faced man with pink hair.

"Hold back the other two I'll take shorty" she said flirtatiously.

The man nodded and released his Scyther and Roserade to block Dawn and Brock from helping Ash. The girl then approached Ash and said with a smile.

"Tell you what beat me and I'll leave this place with my Team. It'll be an all out three on three." Realre said smiling deviously.

Ash groaned stumbling to his feet still holding his jaw and ordered his Pikachu to fight. The little mouse who was comforting Ash nodded and hopped into battle. Realre smiled and opened her Pokeball releasing a smiling Pichu.

"This little cutie is just like me" She said with a giggle. "Now use charm."

The little Pichu gave the Pikachu a wink causing the electric mouse's attack to fall.

"Quick use thunder bolt Pikachu"

Pikachu was not listening and was too busy staring at Pichu longingly. The Pikachu was somehow affected by infatuation even though charm cannot cause attraction. Realre made Pichu use sweet kiss which Pikachu did not bother to avoid and even happily received the 'attack'.

"Now use nasty plot" the girl said smiling.

The devious Pichu smiled and began to think of nasty thoughts until it came up with a nasty plan. Then Realre chose to end the cute façade and ordered Pichu to use its thunder wave, however the Pikachu felt the tingling sensation of the electricity and merely enjoyed it.

"Return Pichu. Go Jolteon."

Pikachu looked around in sadness that Pichu had gone and was replaced by a Jolteon. The Jolteon who was coursing electricity around its body and emanating jolts from its pins smiled proudly.

"Now use pin missile"

The Jolteon released many pins assaulting the poor love struck Pikachu in the face. The pins significantly weakened the Pikachu.

"Quick counter Pikachu by using volt tackle".

The mouse Pikachu charged electricity around its body and ran full pelt towards the pinned Pokemon. Sadly Pikachu was still confused and stumbled on its feet. At the sheer speed it was travelling Pikachu scrapped along the floor going through extreme pain from the friction. Pikachu's body slowed down until it stopped, the poor mouse had been knocked out. Ash ran over to Pikachu and carried it back to where he was standing. Ash looked up from his little Pokemon to glare at the blond woman.

Ash took out his Pokeball and called his Sceptile knowing that he would have the type advantage. Realre giggled and called back her Jolteon and called out her Mareep. The little Mareep bleated with excitement at being used.

"Sceptile use leaf blade"

"Nice try kid. Mareep use light screen"

The little lamb Pokemon bleated in response and formed a yellow screen in front of it. Surprisingly the Pokemon had enough strength in it to deflect the attack and send the Sceptile recoiling. Ash stared in shock at his strong Sceptile recoiling and looked up to see Realre who had some weird aura around her which in turn seemed to be affecting the Mareep.

"Now counter with signal beam"

The little Mareep let out a beam of light that hit Sceptile who was still recoiling and was hit on its back.

"Sceptile quickly use X-Scissor"

The grass Pokemon rose to its feet and ran to the little lamb Pokemon. Whilst Sceptile charged at the lamb Pokemon Realre ordered her Pokemon to use charge which it obliged to do and began to let static run through its body. As Sceptile hit the Mareep sending it across the room, bleating as it flew through the air, the static from the Mareep greatly paralysed the grass Pokemon.

"Now finish this with discharge Mareep."

The lamb Pokemon landed on its legs and then released all the electricity it had stored up. The electricity hit the grass Pokemon with a painful jolt. The power completely paralysed Sceptile causing it to give up and fall to the floor. Ash recalled his Sceptile and knew that this was his last chance to win the match. He hurled out his Pokeball to reveal his trusty Donphan. The Elephant Pokemon trumpeted its entrance.

"Mareep signal beam now"

"Defend with defence curl quickly"

Luckily the signal beam was deflected by the armour of the Donphan.

"Now follow up with a rollout"

Donphan curled into a ball and rolled itself at extreme speeds to the lamb Pokemon. The lamb instinctively used a light screen to stop the Donphan. However the extra power from the defence curl gave it enough strength to break through and knock out the Mareep. The girl broke her happy appearance and glared at Ash. She recalled her Mareep and sent out Jolteon.

"Dodge the rollout with double team."

The pinned Pokemon created illusions of itself by running quickly around the area, however Donphan countered this by rolling swiftly around the images not giving the Jolteon a chance to recover and it hit the Jolteon across the room. Pinned Pokemon scrambled to its feet and shot thousands of pins at the rolling Elephant Pokemon. The pin missiles were not enough to stop it and the ground Pokemon shot forward and knocked the Jolteon to the floor. Realre glared and knew that had lost this battle. She recalled the Jolteon and released her little Pichu. As soon as the Pichu left the ball it was hit at extreme speed and fainted at the pain.

After recalling the Pichu she felt a great pain coarse over her body bringing her to her knees. The pink haired grunt recalled his Pokemon and raced over to Realre offering her a shoulder. He lifted her to her feet and helped her out of the cave, to which she muttered a thanks. She turned to look at Ash.

"Typical that you need the type advantage"

Ash had a brief flsh back from his battle with Misty. 'Did she tell Team Rocket about me?'

"You may celebrate now, but you must be stupid if you think this is the only place we have bases of operations"

And with that they left.

**

* * *

**

Right sorry about the lateness, but revision does that to you. Hope you enjoyed it. Please rate and review. Also I deleated this chapter after posting too quickly to add in some corrections. By the way it's like 2:50 in the morning as I type this so I hope you guys can over look a few typos:p.


	7. Behind the scenes

**Right here's the next chapter. Oh I should probably warn you guys, that this fanfic is probably going to be over 20 chapters long. *Gasp*:o. I know, but enjoy this chapter. Oh and I misspelt the blond haired girl's name wrong in the previous chapter. It's meant to be Realen. Hope that doesn't confuse you guys. Enjoy.**

* * *

The large planes slowly stopped and hovered over the heli-pad. The green Vertibirds were fitted with a frontal chain gun and missiles. The birds were fit with twin engines on the side to aid with hovering than flying. The plane landed and the door on the side opened up. Out stepped several grunts, happy with their mission each carrying some spoils from their assignment. A second plane landed on next to the first one. This Vertibird however was marked differently to show that this one was more important. The door opened revealing a tall robed man with platinum blond hair and a smile on his face. Behind him was a girl slightly shorter than him with orange hair. The tall man stepped out and made his way to the large base before them. The orange haired girl stepped out and followed the tall man.

"Well wasn't that a fun mission eh poppet?" the tall man commented.

Misty looked at him with a questioning look. She was sure he did not see what she had done to Ash and she knew Realen would never let her live it down. She thought it was best not to give anything away and chose just to question back.

"What do you mean?"

The tall man looked back at her and smiled. She saw a glint in his eye as if he was planning something. She heard stories of him 'pass out some cards' whatever that meant. She once asked him to tell her about himself, but he just said that he preferred to keep his cards to his chest.

"Well I mean our little plan worked, we've boosted the bank and you 'caught up' with an old friend" the man said with a mischievous smirk.

Misty could feel her cheeks heat up with embarrassment. She turned to him with shock and surprise that he saw that.

"H- how did you know?"

The man suddenly slowed down and looked at her with surprise. He chuckled to himself and shook his head still laughing to himself.

"I didn't, one of the grunts told me. At first I thought it was some silly rumour, but thank you for confirming it" he said with a smirk.

Misty felt like an idiot for throwing in the towel so quickly. She then got flashbacks of her kissing Ash. She didn't know what made her do it, but she felt this strong urge overcome her and she wanted him in that moment. Though it did help get her friends out safely so they weren't kidnapped after being weakened, she knew that wasn't why she did it. The sight of seeing him after so long made her feelings come rushing back. She could not pass up the chance of losing Ash so gave him a 'little gift' so he would not forget her.

The walk was spent in silence with the tall man enjoying seeing Misty squirm and get flustered. As they made it into the base, Misty broke off from walking with the man and made her way to her room. As she was walking to her room she noticed in the room where the high ranking members would relax or as the blond would call it the grey room, due to the lack of anything to do. The room just contained several large glass windows showing the scenery before them, two tables and four sofas. She saw in the room there was another member in the room. He had light brown hair in a mullet and was holding a blue sitar. She remembered that the man was particularly lazy and would often do what he could to get out of working. After all of this he could only gain an associate ranking. She continued walking and saw a very large figure before her. She could only stare at the man with wild brown hair. He had short hair, but there were little wisps of hairs standing up. She noticed that his robe was larger than other members to fit his body builder physique.

He just kept walking and ignored her. Misty made her way to her room when she saw the last member who she sadly had to be neighbour to. She looked at the shapely blond woman throwing herself at a tall pink haired grunt. She noticed the man had soft feminine features and looked very elegant. The man's hair was shoulder length and pink with ruffles. His eyes were blue with pale pink lips. The woman was giggling at him and trailed her fingers up his chest. She snaked her hands around his neck and let out a soft sigh. She then turned her head to see Misty and smiled at her.

"Say Misty is this the proper way to make out with a guy?" Realen asked.

Misty could feel her face go red at the giggles and laughs from the two people in front of her. 'He must have been the one who saw me and the only one not scared enough of me to talk'. She tried to glare at the blond girl who was draping herself over the pink haired muscular man. Misty simply huffed and turned on her heel. The orange haired girl did not want to give the 'couple' any satisfaction. Though from what Misty could hear as soon as she entered her room they were going to get satisfaction, just not from her.

"Ah that was great. I haven't had that much fun in a long time" the blond girl giggled

The pink haired man smiled and said to Realen "Give me a chance and I can give you a better fun time"

The blond haired girl smiled flirtatiously and smiled "Oh Luriama. You sure know all the right things to say to a girl"

Misty heard the sound of giggling then the door next door to hers opening then close followed by the sounds of loud giggling and laughing. Misty groaned and buried her head in her hands. 'Great. Looks like I'm not going to get any sleep to night. And I doubt they are either' Misty though angrily to herself.

* * *

Three years later.

Misty sighed and placed on her cap and looked at herself in the mirror. Three years had passed and Misty's body had changed. She had grown slightly and had produced more curves on her body. She was also happy to have produced a larger bust than the one she had when she was young. She picked up her Pokeball belt and put it around her slim waist. Misty made her way to her door and left her room. As she closed her door she heard knocking sound on the door next to hers. She looked to her left and saw Luriama with just his grunt shorts on holding a pink flower in his hand and wearing a silly grin on his face.. The man had an impressive physique, though not in the style of a body builder. He had a six pack making his body look lean, elegant and strong. Whilst looking at him she noticed that he had many claw and scratch marks over his body. It was no secret to the other members that Realen was a sadist and enjoyed pain of others. Misty had heard stories of Realen ordering grunts to catch common Pokemon with just a net so she could watch them struggle and go through pain. The only mystery to Misty was why this man would constantly go back to her. Though she couldn't blame him, even though Misty was a girl even she could notice how attractive Realen was. Misty just shook her head and walked off briskly so as to not be caught in between their 'little romance'.

Misty made her way to the 'grey room' where she her the tall blond man as usual playing with a pack of cards. She approached the man sitting on the sofa and sat opposite from him. He smiled at her presence and opened his mouth to question her.

"Been having fun sleeping all night?" The man said chuckling.

Misty snorted and groaned back "No thanks to my neighbour and her new special grunt"

The man offered her if she wanted to join his game, but she gratefully declined saying that cards weren't her thing. She turned her head to see a man with a mullet walk into the room. The man turned his head to the gambler and gave him his orders.

"Hey Luord, boss says for you to go to Sinnoh and go to Canalave City. He says there are some books on legendary Pokemon that he would like to see."

The blond man stood up and sighed, shuffling his pack and he got up. He straightened his black robe and looked at the mullet haired guy.

"Joy of joys. Nothing I enjoy more than being ordered about by that veritable maelstrom of avarice. Still if I finish my mission quickly I may have some spare time to run a little errand" Luord said with a smile.

He left the room briskly to head out to the Vertibirds. Misty was left with the lazy man who slumped on the sofa and started to strum a few notes on his sitar. Misty eyed the man curiously wondering why he spent most of his time playing his instrument than training his Pokemon.

"Erm can I ask why you are playing your sitar rather than training your Pokemon?" Misty said hesitantly.

"Sure. This is my way of training. I use this in whilst battling to help my Pokemon"

"How does that work?" Misty inquired.

The man smiled at Misty and said "Ah I can't tell you all my secrets or you may beat me in a battle."

Misty eyed the man curiously as he went back to playing on his sitar trying to get the correct tune. Misty thought about the other members training and their different training methods. There was the mullet haired man who played on his sitar, Luord trained by simply sitting on the floor and playing with his cards as if he was waiting for something, then there was the body builder who trained by cracking rocks in half with his body and finally Realen whose training involves 'exercising'.

"Still your training must be better than Realen's whatever that might be" Misty muttered.

As soon as she had muttered those words the sitar player raised his head and glared angrily. Misty felt uncomfortable at the sudden change of atmosphere. She did not think that he and Realen were that close to the point where he would be angry at the though of someone else 'being with her'.

"I hate her. She's so bitter and nasty. She always tries to scare me and then when she succeeds she then revels in the sight" the boy spat.

"Wow. I never knew she was that mean. Say does she actually do any training?" Misty leaned forward eager to learn more about her colleagues.

"Well I overheard her talking with Luord. He asked her what she did to train and she said that she 'exercises' by training like her ninja like running fast and jumping and accuracy and stuff like that. Though she seems to have adopted a 'new training method'". The boy explained.

Misty looked over to the entrance of the room when she heard loud footsteps. She saw the large body builder enter the room he sat in the other corner on one of the sofas. The large man crossed his arms and closed his eyes as if he were in deep thought. Misty noticed how the atmosphere changed dramatically from a clam atmosphere to an eerie quiet one. She looked over to the sitar player whose playing had slowed down to an almost calming tone as if to calm down the anger welling inside the bulky man near them. Misty sighed and knew that today was going to be a long day.

* * *

One week later.

Misty opened her eyes and looked around her. It was her usual settings nothing special. She had dreamt she was in a different more comfortable place in a warm embrace, but alas that was not the case. The girl rose from her bed to get changed. After donning her usual attire she left the room to be greeted with an unpleasant sight, the scene of Luriama and Realen making out. The man had his arms wrapped around her body whislt she had her legs around his. She pulled apart their lips, but still holding onto his lips with her teeth. The woman slowly let go and sighed whilst the pink haired man merely winced as he felt blood from his lip. The blond haired girl turned her head and focused her large teal eyes on Misty.

"Seriously stop watching us all the time and make out with you own boyfriend. Oh wait I forgot he's not here and never will be" the girl sadistically said.

Misty could feel a pang in her heart at the vicious words being thrown at her like thousands of daggers. Misty looked over to the pink haired man who was too busy staring at the blond haired sadist. Misty held back her tears and turned away swiftly but not before hearing Realen utter the gruesome words "Now where were we?" Misty as soon as she turned a corner ran as fast as she could until she ran into a large muscled body. As soon as she made contact to the brick wall she fell to the ground. She looked up and saw the body builder and Luord looking down on her. The blond man turned to the brown haired man and handed him a Pokeball. The man nodded and turned around walking off. Luord looked at the girl on the floor. He held out a hand to lift her up which she grateful accepted. When she made it to her feet the man smiled his usual smile.

"What?" the orange haired girl enquired.

"Something bothering you or were you off for a very brisk jog?" the man said as if he already knew the answer.

"I was just sick at the sight of seeing Realen everyday eating that grunt's face."

"Speaking of sights I saw this short spiky haired boy with a baseball cap. You know him?"

Misty suddenly perked up at hearing this. He had met Ash? Misty right then gave her total attention to the man before her.

"You saw Ash?"

"Yep. Sure did. I may see him again. Want me to pass on a message?" the man said with a smile.

Misty lost the control of her voice and could feel her face heat up. The girl could only muster a few inaudible sounds from her closed throat. The tall man smiled and took that as a yes.

"Say look what else I picked up"

The blond man reached into his pocket and pulled out an odd item. Misty just stared at it. From what it was made of she did not think it would be of much use. Before she could inquire further she heard a loud giggling sound. She looked behind her to see the giggling hourglass blond girl with her arm around the pink haired grunt. The blond saw the orange haired girl and smiled.

"Oh Misty my grunt and I are off on a special mission together don't you wish you could do something like that with someone you cared about?"

Misty could feel herself fill with anger and she almost leapt on Realen and punched her if it wasn't for Luord holding her back. Realen smiled and walked off with her boy toy following her. Misty looked at Luord angrily expecting an explanation. The man smiled and offered a confusing explanation which left the red head in thought.

"Don't worry things have a way of working themselves out" the man said smiling to her.

He then turned around and walked off.

* * *

One week later.

Misty awoke from the sofa she was laying on to hearing a loud scream from the base. She heard the ear splitting sound almost burst ear drums and instinctively placed her hands over her ears. She looked over to the sitar player who was doing the same. Misty heard the sounds of loud foot steps stamping their way along the ground.

"How did that stupid little kid beat me?" Realen almost screamed again.

'Kid?' Misty then had the image of Ash in her head and wondered if it was him. She wouldn't be surprised if it was, Ash was always good at beating trainers and Realen was not exception. Misty waited until Realen was passing the doorway when she felt the courage to ask the blond the ill fated question.

"Did the boy have a baseball cap on?"

As soon a she said that Misty immediately regretted it. The blond turned on Misty with eyes filled with pure hatred. She clenched her fists and would have leapt forward to rip Misty's face off had Luord and the sitar player not been there. Realen felt a tug on her arm and she turned angrily to the culprit.

"Maybe I could help you with your little stress problem?" the pink haired grunt said with a sly smile.

Realen smiled and grabbed his arm and led him to her bedroom. The onlookers could only look on sympathetically for the poor man who had just signed his own death warrant. The sitar player lied back on the sofa and smiled at Misty.

"Thanks for riling that nasty piece of work. You and your boyfriend sure are great" he said smiling.

Before Misty could correct him Luord interjected with some important information for the musician.

"Speaking of which, the boss has a mission for you"

The Sitar player groaned and let out a long sigh. After realising that, that wasn't going to solve anything he stumbled to his and walked off to the boss's room. Misty looked on in confusion what Luord meant by his statement.

* * *

**Right there's no fighting in this so sorry. Oh and I'd like to thank pokemaster101 and dbzgtfan2004 for their reviews:D. Next story should hopefully be on time as well:P.**


	8. Refusal to see the light

**Just to clarify in the previous chapter they were basically Misty's reactions to different events. It went from after Misty seeing Ash, then before Luord met Ash, then after Realen being beaten by Ash. Each of course separated by a time lapse. Hope that solves any queeries you may have had guys:D. Enjoy.**

* * *

Ash let out a sigh as he made it to the port. He looked around and saw the content sea and bright blue sky. He smiled because for once he believed he would have a tranquil journey. He looked behind him to see his friends smiling at him well aside from Paul. He glanced at Brock his reliable friend that he had known for six years and trusted entirely. He always respected his advice and always thought of him as the brother he never had. Then he looked over to Dawn. The girl was smiling at him happily at the thought of another adventure. He was surprised that she had stuck with him this long after three years as he normally parted with his friends after a year, but not her. He had grown close to her and had now begun to think of her as a younger sister. Next was his rival Paul, who he now thought of as a friend. True they did bicker and fight, but that was only to better each other. Ash thought of Paul and even though he would not admit it, he knew Paul thought of him as a friend. Finally he looked at his long term best friend Pikachu. He had known Pikachu all his life and was the first friend Ash had ever truly made. He loved his little static mouse and he was sure that the feeling was mutual.

Ash turned his attention to the docks before him and walked confidently to the ticket booth. He looked at the man in charge of the tickets and gave him a welcoming smile. The man in charge unused to this gave Ash back a surprised smile.

"How may I help you today young man" the ticket booth owner said smiling.

Ash felt a bit annoyed that his patches of facial hair had not taught anyone that he was not a young man, but rather a full grown man, despite being 16. Ash cleared his throat and responded to the question.

"May I please have four tickets to Hoenn please?"

"Certainly young man. Here you go."

Ash could feel annoyance grow inside him at the repeated words. He knew he shouldn't be annoyed as the man did not mean to annoy him, but Ash was frustrated. He handed over the money and walked off with his friends. He checked his watch and noticed he had an hour to kill before the ship was to arrive. He turned around and directed a question to his friends.

"Since we've got time to kill should we go to that café?" Ash said pointing at the coffee shop.

His friends nodded and they followed him inside. After ordering their respective coffees Ash placed them down on the table and sat down.

"Say Ash what exactly are going to do when we reach Hoenn?"

Ash took a sip of his coffee and then turned his head to the curious blue head.

"Realen said that there were more bases than the one we stopped. We're going to Hoenn, Johto and Kanto to stop Team Rocket" said Ash with a smile.

"And how exactly do you expect us to find these bases? Rely on the kindness of a Team Rocket member again?" Paul pointed out.

Ash went silent. He hadn't thought about that obvious flaw in his plan. He forgotten about that man being the only reason they were able to find the bases. If the man chooses not to help them again then they could never find the bases to stop Team Rocket. Ash then thought about the promise he made to Misty. He sighed 'Misty I promise I will save you' thought Ash.

"We've got not choice we've got to just hope that we get lucky again" Ash responded.

That was not the response the group had wanted, but after three years Ash had matured slightly and had some knowledge of the harsh reality of life. He knew that there was not alternative and they just had to rely on the luck of the cards. The sound of a large boat coming into dock drew the group's attention immediately. They got up and made their way to the large ship.

* * *

After flashing the tickets to the guards he made the group made their way onto the boats.

They were directed to their individual rooms and set up their luggage. Ash was situated near his friends with Brock to his right and Paul to his left. Dawn was in the room in front of his. Ash placed his bag on top of his bed and proceeded to unpack his belongings. His Pikachu leapt off his shoulder and landed on his pillow. The tired little mouse let out a soft yawn and curled up into the pillow. Ash smiled at his worn out partner. It had been a long journey from Iron Island all the way to the docks, and Ash had begged that they made their way as quickly as possible to the docks so they could get to Hoenn as soon as possible. He said that they would be able to rest once they made it onto the ship.

He looked down at his content best friend and smiled. Ash unpacked the rest of his luggage and left his room to let his little Pikachu catch up on its sleeping. As he closed the door silently he turned to see Brock and Dawn engaged in a conversation. He approached them and gave them a slight wave.

"Hey guys. What're you talking about?"

"We were just wondering where the best place is to go right now. To the pool or to the buffet" Dawn answered.

Ash's eyes lit up at the thought of a large spread of food laid out for anyone to take. As soon as Dawn and Brock saw the eyes of Ash light up they knew exactly what he wanted to do. Before they could say anything, once again Ash had raced off.

"You think he knows where he's going" Dawn asked.

"Oh don't worry. Ash'll find it with his nose".

* * *

Ash almost broke the doors off their hinges as he stared in delight at the mountains of food laid out on the table in front of him. He lost all control of his jaw and his tongue heavy with drool hung out. He raced over to the table and began to plate up his plate till it stacked higher than him. The boy with gluttony in his eyes sat down at the nearest table and proceeded to wolf down his meal. Unbeknownst to him there was a young couple sitting next to him who felt uncomfortable at his sudden presence ruining their ambience.

"Erm do you mind? My girlfriend and I are trying to enjoy some time together and we don't need you here ruining it". The man said strongly.

Ash's only response was a bunch of incoherent mumbles caused by the amount of food in his mouth which unfortunately caused some of the food in his mouth to fly at the couple. Unfortunately for the male his girlfriend was the main recipient of the full frontal assault that was Ash's half eaten dinner. The girl let out a loud ear piercing scream as the food hit her lovely dress and face.

"Please make him stop" the girl almost cried.

The man stood up and lifted his girlfriend up with him. He moved her so that she was in front of him so she wouldn't get hit anymore. They proceeded to walk off, but not before the man gave Ash a harsh scowl. Ash merely shrugged the incident off and continued his meal. 'What's their problem? I swear people always act different when they're dating' Ash thought to himself.

"Ash?"

Expecting it to be Dawn, Ash slowly raised his head until he noticed who it was. His eyes shot open at the sight before him. It was his old friend May whom he had not seen in over three years. He immediately swallowed the food in his mouth, feeling a pain in his throat as he did, and stood up to greet his old friend.

"Hey May what are you doing here?" said Ash excitedly.

"Well I've just been off to Sinnoh championship to win some more ribbons" the girl said happily with a smile.

"Wow nice going. How many did you win?" asked Ash.

"Well the usual" said May with a wink and then added "I also made it to the finals, but I only ended up third again"

"That's great news. Let me guess Drew and Solidat stopped you again?"

"Yeah I'm starting to think I'm never going to beat them." May said with a regretful sigh.

"Ah don't worry I'm sure you'll make it to be number one some day" Ash said confidently.

May smiled at Ash happily. She then turned her head to take a good look at Ash. She couldn't help but stifle a giggle at how much Ash had 'grown'. She noted that he had become muscular, but not that much. She also noted he had grown a fair bit, but in comparison to others he was still short. She was close to laughing loudly at the sight of Ash's hair. Not the hair on his head though, but the patches of facial hair that he seemed to be proudly sporting.

"Say Ash you sure have grown up since we last met" May commenting trying to hold back her laughs.

Ash smiled proudly at the 'compliment' and started to stroke his 'beard' "Yeah I guess I have. I've become a real man" said Ash rather proudly.

May struggling to contain it any longer managed to mumble an excuse me before darting off into the toilet. As soon as May had entered the toilets Ash heard loud high pitch screams of laughter from the toilets. Ash stood awkwardly wondering why she was laughing so strongly. After a few minutes had passed of non stop laughing May left the toilets still giggling slightly at the incident. Ash just stared at the girl with confusion written all over his face.

"Erm May what were you doing in there?" Ash asked curiously.

"Er I remembered a funny thing Harley has said to me. It was a you had to be there moment" May said with a smile.

"Oh ok." Ash smiled showing that he had bought her lie.

"Say what's the great Pokemon master doing on this ship anyway?" May inquired.

'Why does everyone keep saying that?' Ash thought. 'First Brock and Dawn now May'. He realised he had been thinking too long and had left May in a silence.

"Oh sorry. Well you remember Team Rocket?" He waited for May to nod and then continued "Well you see they're back, but this time they actually pose a problem. I met my I mean one of their grunts and she defeated me instantly. I met another member in Iron Island and she told us about there being more Team Rocket bases all around the regions" Ash said exasperatedly.

May just stood there shocked at the long explanation. She knew about Team Rocket, but mostly from the bumbling trio who always tried to steal Pikachu. She only faced Team Aqua and Magma, but they were never as trouble as Ash is making out. The words "one of their grunts and she defeated me instantly" was stuck in her mind. 'How could a grunt beat Ash? I swear he was the best trainer I have ever met' May thought to herself. Ash knew at this point after explaining it was always best to give the recipient time to think to themselves and reflect on this. After May was finished pondering she decided to have some of her questions answered.

"So why the sudden uproot from your Pokemon journeys? What's caused you to suddenly focus on Team Rocket and defeating them for good?"

Ash went silent for a bit before looking May in the eyes to answer her "They've brainwashed one of my best friends. And I will do anything I can to save her"

At this sudden revelation May felt awkward. She had clearly hit some strong emotions as they left the usually energetic silent. He suddenly stood up and turned around to leave the room. He didn't even notice Brock and Dawn greet him. Brock turned to see May and smiled giving her a wave as we walked over to her.

"Hey May what happened to Ash?" Brock asked curiously.

"I dunno. I asked him about what he was up to, he spoke about Team Rocket, then I asked why the sudden interest and he said something about wanting to save a brainwashed friend then he left"

"Oh" said Brock understanding now.

Dawn and May looked at Brock curiously. They then turned their heads to take to see each other. They smiled and shook hands.

"Hey May how's things going?"

"Oh you know the usual wining competitions and ribbons. Been a long time since we last met" May said with a wink.

Dawn giggled at May and responded with "Well I've also gotten better as a coordinator I'll have you know"

Before May could respond Brock snapped out of his trance in time to hear the conversations of the girls. May curious to know what happened to Ash asked him as he knew Ash more than anyone else.

"Brock what happened to Ash?"

Brock let out a sigh; he was annoyed that he would have to answer this question as the topic always made him feel uncomfortable.

"Her name is Misty. Remember?" He got a nod from May and continued "Well you see Misty is apart of Team Rocket. And that has affected us all greatly, but not as much as Ash. He's got it into his head this idea that Misty is brainwashed, but I've seen so many people who have been brainwashed and Misty does not look similar to them. Plus I know her she is not brainwashed."

May and Dawn gasped in synch at this idea. They were shocked at what Brock was saying and they wanted to know that their interpretation of Brock's idea was wrong

"Just what are you getting at Brock?" gasped May.

"Look Ash has this permanent image of Misty in his head of the girl whose bike he wrecked. She was his first human friend and he always felt so strongly to her. She always was there to help him mature emotionally and praise him when needed. Now after seeing her in that Team Rocket uniform he's experience some serious denial issues. Whenever I try to talk to him about he keeps saying that it's not her fault and that we don't know or understand what's really going on. I try to reason with him, but he gets really upset and it always ends with 'My Misty would never join Team Rocket'.

The group fell silent. They knew it was not healthy for Ash to be having these strong feelings over Misty, especially when he did not understand them. May could feel a lump in her throat 'Ash what happened to you?'

* * *

Ash let out a gasp as he felt the cool breeze hit his body, instantly cooling him down. Ash moved further over to the railing of the ship as he felt his relax and the muscles in his body to soften. Ash rested his arms on the railing and placed his head into his crossed arms. He let out a sigh and his thoughts drifted to Misty.

"Misty" he whispered softly to himself.

'Why would you join them? No you didn't you wouldn't not you, not my Misty'. 'I've got to find some way to cure you; I don't want to hurt you in any more Pokemon battles.' 'Please Misty just come back to me, I'm so sorry for neglecting you and I promise I'll never do it again. Just please come back to me' Ash could feel a lump in his throat and his eyes well up. He could feel tears from his eyes drop onto the railings and he let his bottled emotions over flow. 'You're my best friend and I will save you from those monsters'. As Ash woke up from his trance he noticed how the area around him had become hazy. He tried to look out to the sea but could not see anything through the thick haze. He found it odd how the once clear sea and sky had become now suddenly hazed.

Ash looked down into the sea to see the waves become stronger and more violent and oddly more muddy. He leaned forward to get a better look at the waves and suddenly saw a large sport of water shoot out of the sea and pelt him and the railing. As he tried to shake the water off him he felt his grip on the railing slip.

**

* * *

**

Sorry about this being late, but due to a power cut it made posting this quite tricky. I've got an exam in a fortnight so I'll have to put this on hiatus till then. Sorry for putting it on a cliffy, but I'll be back soon to put up a few more chapters sooner than usual. So until then please rate and review:D.


	9. Tears of the Sea

**Right as promised a chapter for being so patient so thank you for that. I have an exam on the 29****th**** so normal service will resume after that. Oh and if any of you have been wondering the vertibirds are indeed from Fallout 3. I thought they would be the best thing for Team Rocket.**

* * *

After hitting the icy water with a loud splash Ash swiftly swam to the surface of the Sea. After clawing his way to the surface of the water Ash spat out any water his body had taken in. He turned his body to face the large ship that was now leaving him and carrying off in its own direction. Ash let out a loud shout to try and get anyone's attention, he also waved his hand quickly, but needless to say that didn't do anything. 'Great so this is how I die' Ash thought pessimistically to himself. Ash continued to mentally scold himself for getting lost in his thoughts and not noticing the railing had gotten wet. 'Serves me right for letting my emotions get the better of me. If I want to be a man I have to be more in control'. Ash heard the sound of motors and turned his head to the small boat approaching. Ash smiled and called out to the driver of the boat. The owner of the said boat walked out onto the bow and smiled down at Ash. Ash looked at the fairly tall man with brown hair in the style of a mullet. He noticed the man had on a black robe and a grin. Ash eyed him curiously and prepared himself for anything.

"Say what's nicely dressed guy like you doing in a Sea like this?" asked the man comically.

"Who are you?" Ash spat.

"Wow tough crowd. I'm Meyd you may have met some of my friends" the man said with a cheeky grin.

Ash looked at the angrily. The man hadn't really done anything to him, but he was venting his frustration from the position he was in. In the middle of the Sea, cold, wet and miserable.

"Look what do you want?" Ash asked a bit more calm.

"How about a little battle? If you win I may share some info." The brown haired man said with a smile.

A sudden realisation had hit him, had he brought any of his Pokemon with him? He looked down at his belt and saw he had managed to bring three Pokeballs with him. He smiled at his dumb luck and hoped that the Pokemon would be of help to him in these conditions.

"Ready?" asked Meyd.

Ash nodded and waited for the man to send out his first Pokemon. The man smiled and threw an inflatable dingy at Ash.

"Here you may need this in case you start to drown."

Ash nodded and pulled the cord and let the dingy inflate until it was big enough for Ash to fit himself into. He looked at the mullet man and noticed that he had produced a blue sitar from somewhere. The man then threw his Pokeball under the water, where the ball cracked open letting out a mysterious Pokemon. The ball then shot out of the water and back into the man's hand. Ash could see a pair of eyes glare at him from under the water. Not knowing what to expect or what Pokemon he would send out Ash threw out his Pokeball. The ball burst open releasing a ferocious Charizard that let out an ear splitting roar. Despite being a fire type it could fly giving it a chance against whatever was in the water. Ash heard a few tunes from the Sitar and then the area changed becoming hazy and unclear. After that he saw a blue sparkle under the water that almost looked like a blue ring.

Ash felt the water around him become unsteady and it began to rise with force. Ash could see it become browner as mud began to form. The water rose to a high height to tower that of the flying dragon. Ash could only see a pair of golden eyes in the middle of the water before the wave came crashing at Charizard and more importantly Ash. The mud in the wave stuck into the dragon's wings whilst the water doused its flame. The wave also spread in the dingy knocking Ash onto the bottom of it. He could only be thankful he was not swept off into the Sea. The same could not be said for Charizard who was being knocked about by the tides of the water, greatly weakening it. Sadly for Ash he could not see his Charizard in the water until it was too late and the mighty dragon had been rendered unconscious. Ash when he finally saw it opened the ball and returned the fire type Pokemon.

Ash looked at the sitar player who was in deep focus. From the terrain he had one Pokemon that he knew could help him and prayed that his next Pokemon was just that. He hopefully set the ball free and it released a large crab Pokemon into the waters. Ash almost jumped for joy when we saw who it was. His Kingler the one he hoped for had appeared from the ball into the waters.

"Yes! Now Kingler use crabhammer to make whatever is in the water come out of it." Ash said energectically now that the field had been levelled.

Kingler nodded and let its large claw crash down onto the waters sending a large shockwave shoot across the waters. Ash heard a few tunes from the Sitar and the water Pokemon leapt from the Seas to escape the hit. Ash saw for the few seconds it was in the air an agile looking Vapoureon. Then a few more notes were played and the Vapoureon's body seemed to melt and it fell into the water melding with it. 'As long as that Pokemon stays under water I can't get it. A shockwave works but I need a really strong one'. Ash thought for a while then formulated a plan.

"Kingler jump out of the water then use crabhammer to knock you higher into the air"

Ash was right to tell it to follow up with crabhammer as it was not able to jump that high, but the added crabhammer hit underneath it gave it the extra force to send it flying into the air.

"Now use slam to knock the Vapoureon out of the Sea"

Ash heard a similar tune that he assumed meant for it to get out of the way, however Ash did not intend on having the Vapoureon being flattened, but rather for it to be sent into the air. As soon as the giant crustacean slammed into the water it sent a large shockwave rippling into the Ocean sending anything not made of water out of it. The Vapoureon was shot out of the water and flew higher than the dragon Pokemon before it. As soon as the Vapoureon was at the right height Ash ordered for the fatal blow.

"Now use hyper beam" shouted Ash.

The large claw of the crab Pokemon opened and it fired a piercing beam of yellow and white that struck the aqua denizen Pokemon completely encasing its body with energy. The blue Pokemon fell to the Sea and floated to the top upside down. With its last ounce of strength the Vapoureon answered the last tunes and released a haze into the area. Meyd recalled his Vapoureon and sent out his next Pokemon. As the light covering the escaped Pokemon faded the water spider like Pokemon landed gracefully on the water surface. Ash immediately recognised the Pokemon as Surskit which was known for its agility. Meyd played a few tunes and the Surskit suddenly shot around the water surface with amazing speed, quickening with every time it circle the dazed Kingler.

Ash then noticed that the scent around him had changed to a strong soft scent. He inhaled the strong scent and for some reason got an image of an orange flame in his head. Ash discovered what Meyd's plan was and that was to confuse the enemy by changing the environment. He then saw that the graceful Skirskit had released a long icy beam that had trapped the Kingler by forming a circle of ice around it. The little Skirskit then ran around the Kingler then focusing its ice beam on the large crab Pokemon. Although being a water Pokemon the ice type move seemed to have an effect as it began to freeze Kingler's claw. Ash knew he had only one way of solving this problem with a last ditch attempt.

"Kingler use hyper beam now!"

The crab Pokemon winced as it fired out a beam of energy from its frozen claw that shattered the ice and shot into the speeding skurskit knocking it into the air. The spiralling Skirskit plummeted to the water with a crash. Meyd merely held out his Pokeball and recalled his Skirskit. He then sent out his final Pokemon. When the ball opened a swift looking Tentacool emerged. As soon as the first notes were played the jellyfish Pokemon spat out several toxic spikes around the crab Pokemon acting as floating mines to prevent movement. Ash felt nervous as his Kingler was weak after damaging its claw and after using hyper beam twice. He knew that this Pokemon was going to trap his Kingler then finish it off.

After the next notes were played the Tentacool placed its mouth under the water and suddenly an odd colour change occurred in the water around the Pokemon turning it to a purple colour. The odd ooze began to grow and encase the weakened crab Pokemon. Kingler flinched as the purple substance started to react with its body and slowly poison it. Ash heard a slightly stronger tune than the others he had heard and it's no surprise when he saw what Tentacool was going to do next. The water in front of the Tentacool was being sucked up by it causing all the toxic spikes and purple ooze was either inside it or directly in front of it. The little jelly fish Pokemon was able to unload a powerful pump of water from its mouth that shot at the crustacean Pokemon. The spikes and toxic from its mouth was combined into the hydro pump that pelted the water Pokemon. After the water barrage the crab Pokemon had been rendered unconscious due to the extreme pain.

Ash whispered a soft apology to his old friend and returned him to his Pokeball. He had one Pokemon left and he hoped that this one would do it for him. He threw the Pokeball high into the air. He eyed the Pokeball widely as the Pokemon it was releasing was getting larger and larger by the second, until it seemed to almost block out the Sun. The Pokemon released proved to be an overly large Snorlax. Sadly for everyone this was not the place for Snorlax to be sent out into especially not several feet into the air. The scared Snorlax wildly waved its chubby arms in the hopes that would keep it in the air, alas sadly for everyone the Pokemon fell to the Sea and erupted a tidal wave as it did so. The wave crashed down on all the participants in the area. As the wave crashed on the dingy Ash had to hold on for dear life to the dingy so he would not he swept off it. Even Meyd had to hold on and hope his boat would not be capsized by the crashing wave.

When the Sea had finally calmed down the two combatants looked on to see if Snorlax would rise back up. Ash waited, prayed and crossed his fingers that his Snorlax would be alright. After what felt like decades a large shadow was forming on the surface of the Sea. Finally Snorlax rose to the top and spat out a large quantity of water. The Snorlax had an odd look on his face; he then reached down to his stomach and peeled off a fainted Tentacool. Ash smiled to himself 'He may not do things gracefully, but he certainly gets things done' thought Ash happily to himself. He pulled out his Pokeball and returned his Snorlax. He looked over to Meyd who was clutching his side and appeared to be in great pain, the mullet man recalled his Tentacool and smiled weakly at Ash.

"Wow that was intense" he panted.

"It's not over though you promised me information" Ash said strongly.

"If I remember correctly I said I may give you some information" Meyd said smugly emphasising on the words "may" and "some".

Ash glared at the man bitterly "So you're just going to back out then?"

"Oh I never said that. Tell you what I'll answer three questions. Be careful there are no refunds so ask questions that I'll know the answer to" he said smiling.

Ash thought for a while then came up with his three questions. He raised his head to look Meyd in the eyes and asked him his first question.

"Why is Team Rocket suddenly back?" Ash asked.

"Well I'm not sure of the boss's intentions, only he and his two executives know that. All I've been told is to get money for the Team."

"Second why are you guys in pain after losing a battle?"

"Well you know that a Pokemon takes on the characteristics of its owner?" He waited for Ash to nod before continuing. "Well we have a special ability where we can link our energy to our Pokemon and give them extra strength. However by losing it takes out a lot of our energy after giving so much out. Someone could even strengthen their energy to help a type of Pokemon. You see if someone can control electricity or has it freely coursing through them, they have electric aura which strengthens electric Pokemon, likewise dark aura strengthens dark Pokemon. Not that we've got any who can control what kind of aura they have."

"And finally why do you use that sitar?"

"I practice with it to communicate with them. They recognise the tunes as commands to either attack or move. Well that's that done then" Meyd said with a smile.

"Wait how am I going to get back to the ship?" Asked Ash frantically.

"I dunno, you could try shouting" Meyd said obliviously. "I've got to say your questions surprised me" Meyd added.

Ash perked up at this point. "What do you mean?"

"Well we at the old HQ have been having fun about you and Misty and I'm surprised not a single question was about her. Well I should get back, bye." Said Meyd unaware of what he had just done.

Ash felt sick. Not at the fact that he is going to die from starvation or pneumonia, but how his best friend had been forgotten again by him. Ash had cried before in his life, but never as strong as this. He felt a lump in his throat. Ash pulled his legs to his chest and sobbed uncontrollably.

"I promised to never forget you and I failed. But I will save you from Team Rocket's brainwash" whispered Ash to himself.

In all his self loathing and sorrow he never heard the sound of the ship approaching behind him. It wasn't until the ship blew its horn that Ash noticed it. He turned around and almost forgot about what he had done. He smiled weakly and saw his friends waving at him. Brock threw down a rope ladder for Ash to climb up while the crew would take up the dingy separately for him. After making it to the deck of the ship Ash sighed and lied on the floor. His friends around him eyed him curiously.

"Erm Ash are you ok?" Asked Dawn nervously.

"Er why do you ask Dawn?" Ash responded curiously.

"Your eyes are all bloodshot."

Ash froze as he noticed all of the people's eyes burning into him. His eyes were darting from Dawn to Paul to Brock to May and then finally back to Dawn. Ash's thoughts he had had on the dingy came rushing back to him. He shot up and raced out of the deck and into the ship. He ran. He ran as fast as he could. Down the hallways. Down the corridors. He just kept running until he ran into his door. He frantically searched his pockets for his room card key that luckily remained in his pocket. He fumbled with it until he finally slid it into the slot. He raced his way into his room slamming the door behind him and fell onto the bed. The black haired boy buried his head deeply into his pillow. His pet Pokemon Pikachu who was waiting for him was disheartened for his master.

Pikachu worriedly walked over to Ash and patted him on the head. Ash instinctively turned over and grabbed his little electric mouse and hugged him tenderly. Ash held Pikachu for a while, until he let Pikachu go to get something out of his bag. He pulled out a picture of Misty smiling and doing a peace pose. He smiled at the picture. He hadn't originally had a picture of Misty with him or anyone for that matter, but after his encounter with her he went home to take a picture so he would never forget her again. He rolled back onto his bed and looked up at the picture he was holding in his hands. He just stared at the picture for a while before holding it close to him. He turned over and drifted off in the comfort of Misty and Pikachu.

**

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**

Well that's that until after the 29**th**** due to my exams. So please review and tell me what you think.**


	10. Gamble with your heart

**Right sorry for the delay, but I've just finished my A2s so now I'll have more time to do this Fanfic. Oh and sorry if this chapter seems shorter than the other ones.**

* * *

Ash slowly opened his eyes. He could feel they were sore after crying so hard last night. He looked down to see his sleeping Pikachu curled up next to him, which never failed to make him smile. He then looked at his picture of Misty smiling which has the same effect. Ash raised a finger to wipe the tears off the photo and then placed it carefully into his bag. Ash lied on the bed still, while thinking about all that happened. An uncomfortable thought entered his head at having to face his friends after that scene he had made last night. He just prayed that they would not question him about it. Ash looked over to his sleeping electric mouse and rolled over to give it a soft cuddle. The little yellow mouse had a sweet little smile grow on its face as it thought of Ash and Misty.

* * *

"What happened to Ash?" asked May curiously.

The group were in the dining area and were sat around the table with their individual breakfasts. May's question was met with silence by Dawn and Paul; however Brock was sat in deep thought as he pondered the possibilities. His immediate thought was that it was to do with Misty, but he was confused why Ash would suddenly be overwhelmed by such emotions. Brock thought back to their old adventures where they were always bickering and fighting, yet they would always remain friends. Brock raised his head and looked at the pondering children around him. Brock let out a soft sigh and answered their question.

"Must be Misty again, he's always so hard on himself ever since he saw her with Team Rocket."

At hearing this May perked up. She remembered meeting Misty and how maternal she was. May was undoubtedly surprised to hear that she had joined the despicable Team Rocket.

Brock heard the dining room doors open and turned his attention to the causer of the sound. The group looked to see the scruffy looking boy enter the room. His jacket looked rumpled and his jeans looked crumpled as if he had slept in them. Ash walked over to the buffet and placed a croissant, a slice of buttered toast and a helping of baked beans. The boy walked over to his friends sitting at the table. Ash smiled softly at his friends as he sat down with them. The other occupants of the table looked at the boy with his messy hair. His eyes were bloodshot indicating that he had been crying. Brock sensing that May might make the wrong comment quickly struck a conversation.

"So Ash what's the plan of action?" Brock inquired.

Ash after swallowing the bite he made of the croissant Ash said "Well I don't really have one as I said last time, we've got no other choice than to hope that the weird man helps us out again"

The group again fell silent. Ash felt awkward as he could tell that they were thinking about last night. May, who was struggling with this, spoke up.

"So Ash what are you guys up to now?" May asked curiously.

Ash happy with the silence being broken said to May "Well we're going to stop Team Rocket and save the world you know the usual stuff". Ash spoke this with a smile and then continued "But there's this smug guy with short blond hair who have us this map on a card and so we're just hoping he'll be kind enough to give us another one. I remember he said something about the 'first ones free'.

May nodded excitedly at Ash's tale. "But I can't help notice that you only have four people in your group, I mean if you faced a group of five grunts you might be in trouble" May said with a cheeky smile.

"Alright you can join" said Ash with a smile, getting at what May was hinting.

May let out a squeal of excitement and jumped up clapping her hands together. The excitement was broken by the sound of the ship's horn blaring to alert its passengers that it was docking at Lilycove city. The group then dispersed to go grab their belongings as the ship was about to make port.

* * *

After collecting their things the group to the dock of Lilycove and were walking around the harbour.

"Well now what genius?" Paul remarked sarcastically.

Ash was about to shout at Paul when a familiar voice called out to him.

"Ladies and gentlemen test your luck with this wonderful game and win a great prize. Hey how about you sonny Jim you fancy it?"

The entire group turned their heads in disbelief as they saw a robed man with short blond sitting at a fold-away table. The smiling man held three cards that he was continuously shuffling in his hand. May although had never met the man before was pretty sure this was the one they were talking about on the boat. Ash took the initiative and approached the grinning man.

"How much to play?" Ash asked.

The man smiled at how Ash had gone along with his little 'game'. The man then shuffled the cards and placed them facedown. His eyes then darted up to meet Ash's. The man then chuckled at Ash.

"Didn't I tell you last time that the first one is always free? Now pick." The man said with a smile.

Ash prayed that the card he picked would be the one with the map on it. He thought about it then chose the card on the right. As he picked it up he noticed to his horror that the card had on it the Queen of Hearts. His eyes then shot back to Luord who then asked him a question innocently.

"The cards not play well for you there kiddo?"

"I want another go." Ash demanded.

"And pray tell what do you have to buy a second go?" the man questioned.

Ash then quickly responded with "The Queen of Hearts in return for another go. Double or nothing."

The man raised an eyebrow in surprise at Ash "You want to gamble that card for a chance to get the map?"

Ash nodded swiftly and slammed the card on the table. The man shrugged his shoulders and shuffled the cards together and placed the two cards on the table. 'If I pick the wrong card I lose the map and the Queen of hearts which could buy me another go' thought Ash nervously. Ash reached out and picked up the left card and let out a sigh of relief as he saw a map printed on it. The tall man turned over the other card revealing a King of Diamonds.

"Looks like I still hold this card" the man said with a smile.

The man then snapped his fingers loudly and disappeared into his own shadow and then sunk into the ground. May gasped at this and took a few steps back at the sight of what she had just seen. The group turned to see the shocked girl.

"What did he just do?" May gasped.

Ash shrugged "We don't know. He does that to leave the area."

Ash then got a memory jolt and remembered the battle he had with the man called Meyd.

"That reminds while I was in the Sea a Team Rocket member then attacked me from nowhere. Luckily I beat him and I got three questions. Sadly he knew nothing about Rocket's real plans, but I found out that when they battle they use their energy or 'aura' to strengthen. That's why they are weak after they lose".

Brock, Dawn and Paul nodded taking in all the information aside from poor old May who was being overwhelmed from the amount of new and confusing information she was getting in a short space of time.

"Hey Ash could I get a look at that map"? Brock asked curiously

Ash handed the card over to Brock who scanned the card. He then furrowed his brows as he noticed something odd. He noticed that the marking had been made on route 130 which seemed to indicate that there was an island there.

"What's wrong Brock?" Ash asked.

"This map says that we need to go to route 130 and that there will be an island there, but from what I've heard there's nothing there, but water there." Brock stated.

Hearing this May perked up "Wait I remember there was this Mirage Island that we went knocked onto by Team Rocket"

Ash nodded and remembered the moment well. He was about to respond when he was cut off.

"Prepare for trouble"

"Make it double"

"To protect the world from devastation"

"To unite all worlds within our nation"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love"

"To extend our reach to the stars above"

"Jessie"

"James"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight"

"Meowth that's right"

"Oh great" muttered Ash "Ever since Team Rocket suddenly remerged they got you three to stop us?"

The Team Rocket trio looked confused at this statement. They looked to each other before looking at the 'twerps'.

"What do you mean twerp?" Jessie questioned.

"Well you know Team Rocket is back and they took out Team Galatic" Dawn said.

"We never heard about that. Has this happened recently?" James asked.

"They remerged two years ago and have been causing havoc." Brock stated.

The trio looked at each other and then realised how they had been left out of the loop. They rushed over to their Meowth balloon to find their Team Rocket. Ash looked on and let out a sigh at how even after two years they were still useless Team Rocket members. He turned to his friends and told them that they were going to route 130 to try to find the illustrious Mirage Island.

* * *

The whirring of the verti-birds propellers slowed down to a halt as Luord stepped out of the vehicle. He made his way to the main doors of the Rocket base with a smile on his face. 'That's another step of the plan complete' He thought happily. As he was walking through he saw in the resting area Misty and Meyd.

"I forgot to ask how did the mission go Meyd?"

Meyd shrugged his shoulders and responded with "Lost, but at least we know what Pokemon he has"

"Wait did you battle Ash?" Misty said out loud.

The two men then turned their heads to the loud red head. Misty could feel her cheeks match her hair colour at the stares she was getting. Luord was grinning at the embarrassed girl and Meyd was chuckling at her.

"Yeah it was him he had fallen off his ship due to my Pokemon using mist and water sport, after that we battled, he won and I gave him three free questions."

"Oh my goodness is he; I mean what happened to him"

The man shrugged his shoulders "Dunno I just left him there".

Meyd got up taking his sitar with him and walked off to go train. He was lucky to leave the room as Misty was close to ripping the mullet straight off Meyd's head. She then looked over at the Luord who was chuckling at her. She then felt embarrassed and tried to cover her red face from him.

"You know I saw him again today"

Misty looked up in disbelief at the man. "Really?" she asked.

"Yep. And I have a feeling that you'll be meeting him very shortly."

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Well that's another one. I'll try to get the next one done quicker. Hope you liked it and please review and tell me what you thought of it.


	11. Belly of the Beast

**Right I'm slightly happier with this chapter than the other one. And thank you for the reviews. Please do enjoy.**

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The group made their way across the violent waves that seemed to be forcing the group away to guard something. Ash had been standing on the deck of the rental boat for the entire journey. He was just standing there looking out into the sea. The rain crashing down on him beckoned him to go back inside, but he would not yield. His friends inside the boat looked through the wet windows staring with empathetic eyes at him.

"Poor Ash, he hasn't moved since the boat set off." May said with compassion.

"Yeah, he must really be desperate to stop Team Rocket" Dawn said whilst nodding.

Paul sat looking at Ash with great interest. 'Why is he so desperate to stop Team Rocket? Fame? Because it's the right thing to do? Or to help a friend?' Paul shook his head at the reasons why Ash would do this. 'This is what friends do to you, they make you do stupid errands to stop a pathetic organisation, but is it just me or does having friends make us stronger somehow?' Paul thought strongly wondering if friendships could make someone stronger than hours of training. 'No it's not worth it in the end.' Paul concluded as he then snapped himself out of his thinking and listened to the conversation going on in front of him.

"Shouldn't we go out and help him inside before he catches you know pneumonia" Dawn suggested.

Brock shook his head "Trust me when Ash is in a 'trance' like that it's almost impossible to snap him out of it."

The group just stared at the black haired boy as he stood outside defiantly. Ash gripped his fingers tightly around the railing around the boat so he would not have the same incident as last time. 'Misty. I'm sorry' Ash thought to himself as he stared through the mist.

The boat weaved through the harsh waves as it made its way to the secretive Team Rocket base that was the mirage island. As the boat made its way deeper into the eye of the storm large whirlpools seemed to form in the waters.

"I can't make it through here, the whirlpools will capsize us" shouted the captain to his crew.

"I don't care just force the boat through them" Ash shouted loudly to the captain.

Ash's sudden burst of emotion shocked the boat's passengers, even the usually cool Paul. The captain agreed and set the boats throttle to high and edged the boat through the whirlpools. As the waves crashed onto the sides of the boat rocking it slightly the boat swerved through the whirlpools. The captain of the boat turned the boat swiftly to the right which caused the boat to flip over into the air. The waves hitting the underside of the boat sent the boat flying even further.

Ash slowly opened his eyes to look around him. The boat had crashed into the beach and was upside down. He sat up swiftly and then felt a pain in his head and lied down. He searched the area around him with his eyes and saw Dawn trying to wake up May who was unconscious. Ash let out a groan and slowly sat up and looked around for Paul and Brock. Dawn looked over to where Ash was and walked over to him with a relieved smile as she saw he was ok.

"You ok there Ash?" Dawn asked kindly.

"Yeah my head just hurts a bit. What happened?" Ash asked back.

"After the boat flipped over the sea we crashed onto the beach. You flew off and landed over to the side. May knocked her head as the boat was twirling in the air. Brock and the captain have gone off to look for some berries to help May regain consciousness. Paul just went ahead to check that this is the right place" Dawn said explaining.

"Is he finally awake?"

The two friends looked over to see Paul walking up to them. After being in a crashing boat it was odd to see that he had retained his usual calm composure. His clothes did not seem to contain any ruffles; they looked neat as did his hair. Ash slowly stood up and nodded smiling at Paul.

"Have you found out if this is the right place?" Ash asked.

"Yes the base is just up those steps" Paul said pointing at the stairs in front of them. "I think we should go ahead. We can't afford to waste time waiting for the others to return in case some grunts see us and report on us; besides they will just end up staying with May".

Ash looked over to the unconscious May and felt sorry for the poor girl. He felt guilty for letting her come along with them without thinking about how it could hurt her. He felt a pang of guilt at the thought that May might not wake up. 'No I have to be strong and believe she will be ok.' Ash turned his head to look at Paul and nodded. The two trainers bid goodbye to Dawn and made their way to the stairs. Ash could feel his stomach turn with every agonising step he made up the stairs. Ash looked over at Paul who was calm and collected as usual. 'How is he able to always be so focused all the time?' Ash thought to himself.

As they made their way to the top of the base they saw a large impressive fortress with a large red R on the front of it. The large base stood towering over the two young boys as if it was trying to scare them away. Ash heard Paul snort and looked over to him.

"They must be pretty arrogant if they chose not to put any guards in front of the entrance" noted Paul.

Ash suggested "They probably didn't expect anyone to find this place."

Paul not feeling the need to carry on the conversation walked over to the entrance. Ash quickly walked to catch up with Paul into the base. Ash noticed just how vast the entire area was. He let out a gasp at how impressive the entire was and, despite being a reclusive base, it was architecturally well made. Paul noticed a few stairs leading upwards and a large door in front of them.

"I'll check upstairs you check that room" said Paul bluntly.

Before Ash could respond Paul had already walked off over to the stairs. Ash turned his attention to the large white doors in front of him. Ash swallowed the lump in his throat and made his way over to them. Ash pushed as hard as he could to slowly open the doors. He could feel that they must have weighed a ton as he shoved them open. As the door opened he saw a large very muscular man with short wispy auburn hair standing in the middle of the room. The man who had heard of his arrival was waiting for Ash.

Ash bravely approached the man. Just as he was about to ask the man what the base was doing here he felt a strong hand grab his throat. He looked wide eyes to see the strong man slowly lift Ash till his feet were dangling above the ground. Ash could feel light headiness as the man clenched his fist tighter around his neck. Ash was waving his legs frantically as he tried to break free. The silent man just stared at Ash; he then threw Ash across the room with one arm into a wall. Ash let out a loud scream of pain as he heard a loud crack as his back hit the wall. He fell to the floor with a thud and blacked out.

The large man slowly approached Ash and lifted his heavy boot. He placed the boot just above Ash's head. The man rested his boot on his head. The man lifted his boot swiftly and then- was interrupted by the sound of another man entering. The strong man turned his head to see a stern looking boy with long hair enter the room. 'Girl' thought the man as he saw the boy's hair. Paul looked over at Ash with surprise. 'Wow what happened here' Paul thought to himself. Paul looked over to the man with a strong glare.

"What did you do to him?" Paul asked angrily.

"You're little friend should learn to watch his step" the man said shortly.

"Who are you and why are you here?" Paul asked.

"Maybe I should ask you the same question" the man retorted.

"I'm Paul the greatest trainer you will ever meet."

"Really? Maybe you will prove yourself in a one on one 3 Pokemon battle". The man said tauntingly.

Paul who was never one to back down from a fight sent out his Ursaring who let out a loud and impressive roar. The strong man just brushed off the roar and then got into a fighter's stance. The man let out a loud roar and he released what looks like his aura. The aura burnt a dark orange as it shot out knocking Paul and his Pokemon back.

"What was that?" Paul asked confusedly.

"I am Aeleus and that immense power was my aura that goes onto strengthen my Pokemon"

Aeleus sent out his first Pokeball that opened to reveal a strong confident looking Marowak. The Marowak was sporting a heavy bone club that seemed to be larger than other bone club used by a Marowak.

"Focus energy" muttered Aeleus.

Similar to Aeleus earlier the Marowak shot an immense amount of power around its body.

"Now use bone rush"

The Marowak shot through at an alarming speed to Paul's Ursaring. Paul had just enough time to order Ursaring to use hammer arm before the Marowak. The hammer arm made a direct hit onto Marowak's skull, yet the Marowak seemed to just go through the hit and sent its club directly into the Ursaring's torso. The large bear Pokemon reeled in pain at the hit from the Pokemon half its size. Paul stared at shock at the power that was contained in the short skull Pokemon.

"Now finish this with bone club" ordered Aeleus.

The Marowak swiftly raised its weapon and cracked it over the Ursaring's head. The large Pokemon fell to the floor with a loud thud. Paul noticed that the hit had left a large purple lump on his bear Pokemon's head. Paul regretfully recalled his Ursaring and sent out his Magmortar. Aeleus recalled his Marowak and sent out his special Pokemon. The ball opened revealing a powerful Machamp. Paul had a feeling that this Pokemon was as strong as Aeleus.

"Focus energy" Aeleus ordered.

Machamp mimicked its owner by releasing an overwhelming amount of power. Magmortar shielded itself from the energy with its cannon arm. Paul was not going to let Aeleus have the first hit again and ordered his to attack.

"Quick use flamethrower"

Magmortar pointed its cannon at Machamp and let loose a stream of flames. The flames covered Machamp until it was not noticeable under all the orange and red flames. Paul smiled at his success, Paul then looked over to Aeleus who was shaking his head slowly.

"Focus energy"

Machamp released an overwhelming amount of energy that powered its body, the amount of energy that sent the flames away from its body. Magmortar had to put itself in the way to protect its master from the fires. Machamp after raising its power again had its muscle pulsing with tension.

"Now dynamic punch"

Machamp fixed itself in position with its feet spread and its fist clenched in front of it. The fighting Pokemon then propelled itself forward straight to the fire Pokemon.

"Stop it with fire blast" cried the panicked Paul.

Magmortar shot an impressive fire blast from its cannon straight at the charging Pokemon. Machamp's dynamic punch collided with the fire blast that resulted in a large explosion. Machamp who was at the heart of the explosion stood its ground whilst Magmortar, who was a feet away, was knocked back a bit.

"Dynamic punch"

Machamp shot straight through to the stunned Magmortar and delivered the punch into the fire Pokemon's face knocking it into a near by wall. The impact of Magmortar hitting the wall resulted in the fortress cracking slightly and weakens as its wall had a large crack made into it. Magmortar slowly got up from the wall, but then slumped to the ground as soon as it was on its feet.

Paul was facing his worst nightmare, all those years of priding himself and searching for power he had finally met what he had always wanted to be. Sadly for Paul he was against the dream. Paul picked up his Pokeball and then reached for his next Pokeball. Paul gasped at his hands as he noticed how shaky they were. He gulped and sent out his last possible Pokemon. The thrown ball opened to reveal a large Torterra. The Pokemon let out a loud battle cry to announce itself. Machamp and Aeleus just stared unimpressed at Torterra.

"Use superpower".

Machamp raced over to Torterra and using an immense super strength that coursed through it and threw the turtle Pokemon high into the air. Paul smiled at what had happened as he saw the perfect opportunity to gain the upper hand.

"Torterra use the momentum for earthquake". Paul ordered.

Torterra agreed and climbed into its shell. The large Pokemon pushed all of its weight down and forced its body to plummet into the ground. Paul watched with anticipation as he saw the Pokemon fall. Torterra hit the ground with an almighty crash causing the entire fortress to shake under the force. Paul had to shield his eyes from the sand and rubble being knocked about. As the sandstorm subsided he opened his eyes to see Aeleus standing firm. To his left was half a rock and to his right was the other half. From what Paul could see the entire rock would have been slightly bigger than him and the second fact that he could gather is that he must have shattered it with his own fist as Machamp was no one near him. Machamp was full of energy and seemed to have endured the attack due to Aeleus who ordered focus energy that helped defend itself.

"Revenge" muttered Aeleus.

Machamp released all the anger and pain it had take from Torterra and punched the shell of Torterra into the wall nearby Paul. As Torterra crashed against the wall, the fortress felt another strain as it shook. As Torterra fell to the ground with a crash Paul had just enough time to roll out of the way. Sadly for him he could not avoid the rubble from the damaged ceiling that came crashing down. One sharp stone in particular landed on Paul's leg cutting straight through it. Yet the stone only cut through the flesh and left his leg bone in tact thus leaving his leg trapped. Paul bit his lip so he would not cry. He looked up in anger at Aeleus who was just staring at him with apathy. Paul started to feel the sight around him blacken. He felt his strength in his arms weaken and he slumped to the ground.

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes after some time. The area around me was covered in rubble and dust. I looked in front a saw a long haired boy unconscious with his leg trapped under a rock. I turned my attention to the tall man in front of me who then turned around to look at me.

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Right that's the next one. I hope you have enjoyed it and the next one should be with you on Friday the 9

**th**** of July. And as always please review and tell me what you think.**


	12. Weight of weakness

**Here it is as promised, the second part to the battle. I had planned on it just being one chapter, but due to it being too long I had to cut it. And the person in first person perspective was Ash. Oh and sorry for this being late. Please enjoy.**

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Ash slowly rose to his feet and glared at Aeleus. The muscular man just stared at the weak boy who had to hold onto a nearby wall for support. Ash looked over to Paul who was unconscious. The long haired boy was lying on the floor in an awkward position with his leg crushed under a sharp jagged stone. Ash stared at surprise and then glared again at the powerful man.

"Who are you and what have you done to Paul" asked Ash angrily.

The large man closed his eyes and crossed his large arms. He made a 'humph' sound to share his displeasure. The man slowly opened his eyes and stared at the weak boy in front of him.

"I am Aeleus and 'Paul' tried to defeat me, but he did not have enough power" Aeleus said deeply.

"Was there any need to almost kill him?" Ash asked exasperatedly.

The man just ignored Ash and took one of his Pokeballs off his belt and threw it out into the area. The ball broke open revealing a powerful Marowak holding a heavy looking bone club as if it was a log. Ash saw the Marowak and noticed how it differed from the usual ones he saw. This one was holding a larger club and its size was greater than an ordinary Marowak. Ash looked up from the Marowak and saw Aeleus got into a fighting position. The man then released a large quantity of orange and black aura from his body that engulfed the Marowak. The rest of aura raced past the Marowak and raced past Ash.

The surge of energy knocked Ash off balance and sent him falling to the floor. As his body fell he felt his back hit the floor sending out another loud crack and a scream of pain. Aeleus just looked on at disgust at how weak Ash was. After groaning in pain for a few minutes, with the help of his friend Pikachu Ash climbed back onto his legs with aid from the wall near him for support. Ash reached out for a Pokeball that would have given him the advantage against Marowak.

"Kingler I choose you!" Ash shouted sending out his Pikjdsc okeball.

The ball broke open revealing a large crab Pokemon the size of the strong looking Marowak. Kingler sized up the impressive looking Marowak before it.

"Focus energy" ordered Aeleus.

The Marowak unleased an overwhelming amount of energy from its body that shot out and around its body. The energy pumped its bodyready for combat as it held the once heavy club, which had to be rested on its shoulder, calmly in just one hand.

"Now bone rush" said Aeleus.

Marowak rocketed towards the crustacean Pokemon. The Marowak was close to delivering the first of its five attacks when Ash ordered a counter attack.

"Quick use crabhammer to deflect the hits"

Kingler raised its claw to counter the strong whack from Marowak. Marowak barely flinch from the recoil of the hit. Marowak then dart in less than a second to the back of Kingler to deliver another hit. Kingler had to raise its other claw to deflect the hit. Marowak shot around the area that Kingler inhabited to strike more hits. After the fatal fifth and final hit Kingler slumped to the ground from its previous proud straight stance position.

"Now use bonemerang" called Aeleus.

Marowak leapt back and fuelled its power into the bone club and hurled its club at Kingler. The club hurtled at an impressive speed as it collided with Kingler's claw. The clever Kingler had followed the previous order and countered with another crabhammer. The collision reflected the bone club right back at Marowak.

The collision cracked the claw of Kingler and fittingly the club flew back and landed square onto the skull of Marowak causing a crack on its head. The two Pokemon fainted in different ways. Kingler overwhelmed by the pain of its cracked claw slumped to the ground. Marowak on the other hand clutched its head then stumbled around before falling to the ground and passing out.

"Fought like a true warrior" remarked Aeleus.

"You did well" said Ash smiling to Kingler.

The two trainers returned their respective Pokemon to their Pokeballs. Ash reached out for the next Pokemon and sent out his trustworthy Snorlax. The large Pokemon stretched out and let out a loud yawn as it did so. Aeleus reached for his next Pokeball and sent out his signature Pokemon Machamp.

"Focus energy" commanded Aeleus.

The large muscular Pokemon, like its master, released a powerful jet of energy around its body.

"Now dynamic punch" shouted Aeleus.

The muscular Pokemon shot to the lazy Pokemon who was standing there rubbing its belly softly. The fighting type Pokemon shot its hand into the stomach of the large bulging Snorlax. Snorlax's face contorted into one of discomfort. Snorlax moved its stomach fat and then shot the Machamp back. Machamp felt its body being overwhelmed with a strong force that sent it flying into a wall. As the strong Pokemon hit the wall, the damaged fortress shook at the force.

"Machamp use revenge" countered Aeleus

Machamp shot forward and sent a punch that struck the head of Snorlax. The force shot the podgy head of Snorlax into its body, however as soon as the head was hit into the body it was then shot back out into its original position. Snorlax's face changed to annoyance and looked angrily at the proud Machamp.

"Snorlax hit Machamp with giga impact." Ash called out to his Snorlax.

Snorlax suddenly built a strong speed in his body that built up his momentum. The overweight Pokemon sent itself swiftly towards the muscular Pokemon.

"Counter with superpower" ordered Aeleus.

Machamp's body became imbued with power and it rushed forward to the charging Snorlax. The two Pokemon collided together as the force sent both of the Pokemon into the walls. Ash looked on to see Machamp sent back into the wall as the force from the Snorlax sent it crashing there causing yet another shake from the fortress. Snorlax on the other hand was overwhelmed by the power from Machamp.

When the two Pokemon collided Machamp had released all the power and the aura given from Aeleus into its attack which sent Snorlax crashing into the ceiling. Ash and Aeleus watched on as the large Pokemon fell to the ground causing a loud crash that shook the fortress once again. Ash and Aeleus had to brace themselves as the ground around then rippled under their feet. Aeleus stood his ground easily unlike Ash who picked up his Pikachu close to him to prevent his favourite Pokemon from getting hurt.

As the ground settled Ash opened his eyes to see his little electric mouse Pokemon safe and sound. He smiled to himself 'I couldn't send out Pikachu next. As much as I trust Pikachu I couldn't bare to see him get hurt' Ash thought to himself. Aeleus recalled their Pokemon to their respective Pokeballs. Ash cradled his Pikachu lovingly and then sent out his final Pokemon. The ball cracked open revealing his Sceptile who got in a fighter's stance.

Aeleus reached out for his final Pokeball and sent out his final Pokeball. The Pokeball burst open revealing a large legendary Pokemon. Ash gasped at who it was. After regaining his composure Ash worked up the courage to ask Aeleus a question.

"How did you get Regirock? I thought only Brandon of the frontier brains had him" asked Ash nervously.

"If you must know Luord gave it to me. He said he won it whist he was getting something in that area" Aeleus remarked.

Ash was about to ask another question when the large man stomped his large foot on the ground sending a shock in the ground. The man then released a large blast of aura at his Regirock. The large rock Pokemon absorbed the power being sent to it.

"Now use ancient power" commanded Aeleus.

The large rock Pokemon released an odd power from its body that raised the rocks around it and sent them flying towards the agile Sceptile in front of it.

"Nice try. Sceptile cut the rocks in half with leaf blade" Ash shouted quickly.

Sceptile readied its blades on its arms and then in one quick swipe sliced the rocks in half. Sceptile smiled at Ash and stood up straight for the next attack. Aeleus looked at Sceptile with annoyance as he had a feeling that Sceptile was just going to stop his attacks.

"Regirock use hammer arm" commanded Aeleus.

"Counter with detect" Ash called out.

The large rock Pokemon charged at the grass Pokemon with its large right arm swinging. Secptile had already detected the attacked and was able to swiftly avoid the hit and jump over the bewildered Regirock. The Regirock looked behind it to see the Sceptile had jumped over its arm and was standing behind it. Regirock immediately turned around to face the grass type Pokemon.

"Now use superpower" said Aeleus.

The large rock Pokemon's body powered up with super human strength as it threw its body at Sceptile. Ash quickly commanded a move that could allow his Sceptile to dodge the attack if Ash could say it fast enough.

"Quick use agility" Ash shouted.

Sceptile filled with new found speed shot out of the way of the lunging rock Pokemon. Regirock. Regirock looked behind it to see Sceptile rushing around it to avoid the might of the rock Pokemon. Regirock was getting frustrated and kept on releasing its power at the grass Pokemon. However Sceptile just kept on rushing around Regirock avoiding all the hits. Aeleus glared at Ash's cowardice by getting his Pokemon to retreat. 'If I can get him frustrated then maybe, just maybe, he will lose focus and I can exploit that' thought Ash hopefully. His hopes were dashed when Aeleus ordered the fatal command.

"Finish this with explosion" Aeleus said flatly.

Regirock's body glowed brightly before a large explosion erupted from its body knocking it out instantly. Sceptile in all its speed could find a way to outrun the blast and neither could Ash. As soon as the blast struck Ash held his Pikachu and turned his back on the explosion. Sceptile was caught in the large blast was burnt from its blast and fell to the ground in pain. Ash bit his lip to hold back the screams of pain as his already damaged back was burnt from the burns of the explosion. Ash's Pikachu had its eyes clenched tightly to not see Ash's pain.

As the explosion slowed down Ash slowly looked down at his pet Pikachu who was still in fear. It slowly opened its eyes and smiled at its master looking down at it. Ash smiled and nuzzled the little Pikachu and gave it a little kiss on the forehead. Pikachu let out a sweet 'chaa' sound at its master. Ash slowly looked over to his back and winced at the sight of his clothes having being burnt through and burnt most of the skin on his back. Ash winced as he climbed to his feet and looked over to see his Secptile was lying on the floor out cold.

Ash slowly reached for his Pokeball and returned the Pokemon to his Pokeball. Ash looked around for Aeleus who was standing with a slight limp. The man however, unlike his colleagues, did not seem to be in pain. The man was looking at the building as he had noticed something during the blast. Ash had not noticed the fortress shaking again until the rocks fell off the building to come crashing on Ash. Ash felt his back weaken under the weight of the rocks.

Aeleus just looked on at Ash who was struggling under the weight of the rocks. 'If he's strong enough to survive the blast he should be able to make it out of the rocks'. Aeleus looked over to the still unconscious Paul whose leg had stopped bleeding as Aeleus could notice from the slow in trail of blood coming under the rock. Aeleus noted how Paul had also taken a few of the hits from the battle that had gone on, most notably from the explosions.

Aeleus recalled his Regirock and turned around slowly walked out of the collapsing fortress before it crumbled under the pressure.

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Right there's another one for you. The next chapter should be with you on Monday. As always please review and tell me what you thought of it.


	13. Desire for answers and power

**If you've read the last chapter (which I assume you have) then you will wonder how Ash stood up so many times after damaging his back. He had the use of a wall for support and we've all seen moments when Ash overcomes great pain with the use of his willpower. Here we go with the next chapter as promised.**

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Ash opened his eyes and was met by bright lights and instinctively closed his eyes again. Ash wanted to look around to see where he was, but the lights kept on forcing his eyelids shut again. Ash could hear soft shuffling of feet around him and was happy to know that he wasn't alone. After gaining the strength to open his eyes Ash moved his eyelids slightly so he could peek across the room. He saw a figure of a girl with black hair sitting next to a bed to the left of him. Ash tried to tilt his head so he could get a better look, but felt a crick in his neck as he tried to do so. Ash let out a weak groan as he began to realise just how sore his body was.

"Pika" Pikachu said with joy.

Ash looked slowly down to see his overjoyed Pikachu standing and looking at Ash lovingly. Ash felt a smile grow on his face as he felt the warm paws of Pikachu place themselves on Ash's neck and the little electric mouse gave Ash a relieved and warm hug. Ash returned the hug by resting his head lightly on the little Pokemon.

"Oh Ash thank goodness you're ok" exclaimed a voice behind him.

Ash after adjusting to the lights lifted his head to look at the worried Dawn. The girl had been looking after Ash and Paul who was sitting in the bed to the left of Ash. She and Pikachu had been with the two for the long time that they had been out cold. May and Brock had gone out to get supplies from the shops.

"What happened?" groaned Ash.

"Well May and I were on the beach waiting for you and Paul to return. After a while I became nervous after I heard a loud noise so I walked up the steps to see what was going on. When I went up the steps and saw the large fortress shake violently for some reason I panicked and raced down to the beach to look for Brock and the captain. When Brock and the captain returned I told them about the fortress moving about. They told me to wait there and they ran off to check it out. After waiting for a while I saw a large muscular man walk down the steps calmly. He looked at me and for a moment I was frozen in my place. He then walked off where a large plane with propellers on the side collected him. After he left I was waiting for what felt like a century when Brock returned with you and Paul who was being carried by the captain" Dawn spoke breathlessly after her long explanation.

Ash nodded and took in all the information given to him from the young black haired girl. He slowly turned his head over to the long haired boy sitting to his left. Ash noticed that he was in pretty good shape aside from his bloodied bandaged leg.

"So where exactly are we?" Ash asked.

"Well after you were brought down to the beach Brock and the captain quickly got the boat fixed and we took you to the nearest Poke Centre which happened to be in this small town called Pacifidlog" Dawn answered.

Ash and Dawn looked up to see the door open. Brock and May entered the room, with Brock sporting something that made Ash cringed. May had been wearing a head bandage and Brock had on his face a black eye. Ash had a bad feeling where the black eye had come from.

"What happened to you Brock?" Ash asked awkwardly.

"I don't really know. After Dawn told us about the fortress shaking I ran up the steps. As soon as I opened the door I saw this bulky man dressed in a black robe. When I told him to stay still he punched me so hard in the chest that I swear I could taste blood in my mouth. After that he punched me in the face and walked out of the fortress" Brock said.

'I didn't want my friends to get hurt because of my quest, I only wanted to save my best friend' Ash thought guiltily to himself. Brock and May sensed Ash's guilt and could tell why that was.

"I'm sorry for dragging you guys into this. Especially you May I shouldn't have let you come along with us" Ash said guiltily

"Look Ash you've got to stop feeling so guilty. I came here out of my own free will and so did your other friends because we care about you. You couldn't have known that things would get this drastic" May said practically shouting at Ash.

Ash went silent and looked down at himself. He wondered if he had been a bit too strong with his emotions. Ash started to wonder why he was suddenly so strong with his thoughts about Misty. He'd never been this strongly upset as he has over Misty joining Team Rocket. Ash noticed how he had been crying a lot more than usual and he carried a picture of Misty that he often looked at. 'Why am I so concerned about Misty? Before in the Sinnoh region I hardly thought of her, well aside from the fishing hook she kindly gave me'. Whilst Ash sat thinking about his friends and why he was so upset about Misty, May, Brock and Dawn were standing awkwardly in the silence. Brock and May exchange glances at Paul to see how he was.

"Guys why do I keep on thinking about Misty?" Ash asked.

As soon as Ash spoke those fatal words, like magic May and Dawn were frozen in place. They knew the answer yet they didn't want to say it, if they would make a very awkward situation. 'Oh no. He's in love with her. Well I'm not going to be the one who has to say it' May thought defiantly to herself.

"I mean whenever I think about her I get upset and when I look at a picture of her I get happy. Why do I feel so guilty about Misty being part of Team Rocket?"

May and Dawn nervously exchanged glances at each other. They both had an answer in their head and they both knew the other did. May glanced over to the asleep Paul 'Lucky man. He gets to sleep and avoid this situation' thought May to herself. Dawn bit the bullet and slowly opened her mouth. Luckily for her Brock opened his mouth with a more educated answer.

"My guess would be your old emotions of friendship with her. You were still upset deep down when Misty left so your mind made you forget about her, yet when you saw her again all those emotions came rushing back to you. So that's probably why you think about Misty non-stop and the picture of her makes you happy as it reminds you of the old times you had with her. The guilt arises from you thinking that if you had never let her go she would never have joined I mean become part of Team Rocket." Brock said factually.

Ash nodded at all that Brock had said. Ash always respected Brock's advice and intellect and accepted it straight away. 'It does seem to make perfect sense aside especially that warm fuzzy feeling I get when I see a picture of her'. Dawn and May let out a soft sigh as Brock had once again solved another problem. The group heard a stirring sound and looked over to the bed next to them. The long haired man let out a groan as he slowly sat up and placed his hand on his head.

"What happened?" Paul said groaning.

"You were knocked out by Aeleus and Brock and the captain helped us out of the fortress" Ash explained.

Paul felt a twinge of pain and looked at his foot and then it all came rushing back with the large stone breaking his foot. Paul leaned forward and slowly removed the bandages to see how bad the damage was. The group cringed at the sight of the torn and bloodied flesh. Dawn almost screamed at the sight of the injury on Paul ruined leg. 'I'll kill him for this. How dare he try to render me useless and then just toss me aside like some weakling.' Paul thought angrily to himself.

"How long till I can get out of here?" Paul asked angrily.

"We just checked with the nurse. Ash you should be fine in a week with some therapy and Paul you will take about two weeks for your leg to be healed completely."

"My back will take a week, but Paul's leg is two weeks?" Ash asked confusingly.

"Well the skin will take a while to grow back, but your back will get some great therapy from a chiropractor plus it wasn't broken just damaged" May responded.

Paul grit his teeth angrily and turned over and closed his eyes so that he could pass the time from sleeping. Dawn let out a sigh and walked over to bandage the bloodied leg before Paul died of blood loss.

* * *

Ash slowly opened his eyes and smiled as he slowly stood up from his bed. It had been a week and Ash's back was better. Ash smiled slowly as he felt no great pain as he slowly bent over and leant back. He still felt a slight pain on his back. Ash took off his shirt and looked at the mirror in front of him. Ash looked over his shoulder and let out a gasp as he saw the mess of his back. The fight that he had with Aeleus had left his back severely burnt. He slowly moved his arm over to his back to touch the burnt area and Ash winced in pain.

"What are you doing?" Ash's neighbour asked him.

Ash turned to see Paul sitting up eyeing him curiously. Ash slid his shirt over his body and turned to face the long haired boy.

"I was checking out my back to see if it was ok and luckily it was" Ash lied.

"Good then we can get out of here then." Paul asked.

Ash was a bit taken a back as Paul slid defiantly out of his bed and to his foot as his injured one was raised in the air. Paul hopped over to a pair of crutches and took them off the wall they were resting on. Paul placed them on his arms and started to walk about with the use of the crutches to see how he fared with them.

"Are you honestly that desperate to find Aeleus that you're going to walk about in crutches before your leg is healed?" Ash asked.

"Yes" Paul said bluntly.

May, Brock and Dawn entered the room to see Paul standing strongly in front of them. Dawn rolled her eyes at how over macho Paul was by trying to leave the Poke Center early.

"We can't persuade you not to leave early can we?" Dawn asked hopelessly.

Paul nodded his head and made his way through the doors. The group packed their luggage up quickly and raced after Paul before he made the boat take off.

* * *

The boat made port in Lilycove as the captain would not be able to take them all the way to Johto. Ash and the group made their way to the ticket office where they purchased five tickets to allow journey on the large ship. Ash could not believe his luck when he saw the boat dock as soon as they had bought their tickets. The group made their way up the stairs attached to the ship and made their way inside the Ship. Paul immediately detached himself from the group and made his way to his room, shutting the door quickly as he entered it.

"Typical" muttered Dawn.

"I think I'm just going to unpack my stuff. Hey I'll meet you guys at the buffet" said Ash.

"We wouldn't have it any other way Ash" joked Brock.

The group exchanged laughs and Ash made his way to his room. Ash opened his door and threw his bag on the bed. Pikachu leapt off his shoulder and curled up on his bed. Ash smiled at his little friend and picked up his bag to retrieve his picture of Misty which he placed on the night stand. Ash, not wanting the picture to get damaged, had placed the picture in a frame. As Ash was about to fish out his clothes he heard a knock at his door. 'I thought I was meeting them at the buffet. As Ash opened the door he was greeted by the stern face of Paul.

"Oh hi Paul what are you doing here?" Ash asked him.

"How did you beat him?" Paul asked angrily.

"Sorry, what?" Asked Ash confused with Paul.

"How did you beat Aeleus?" Paul asked again with a more irritated tone in his voice.

Ash still a bit confused replied with "I didn't really, he used explosion with his last Pokemon. His Pokemon were probably tired from the battle with you anyway".

Paul was not satisfied with the answer given to him. He turned around and took a few steps, before turning around to face Ash.

"Come with me" Paul said bluntly.

Ash, confused as ever, simply agreed and shut the door behind him and followed the injured boy in front of him. Ash followed Paul along the corridor to the outside of the ship. Ash stood on the deck with Paul taking a few step ahead of him, then turning around to face.

"It'll be a three on three with the same Pokemon we used against Aeleus" Paul said bluntly.

Before Ash could say anything Paul surprised Ash by sending out his Ursaring. Ash, never one to back down from a fight sent out his Kingler. Before Ash could react Paul shouted his first command.

"Use hammer arm and put all your power into it".

"Kingler use crabhammer to defend the attack." Ash ordered

The large crab Pokemon swung both of its claws to block the large arm being swung at Kingler. As the hits collided Kingler's legs were slowly scraping along the ground, but the strong crab held its ground.

"Now use thrash to defeat it" Paul said flatly.

The large bear Pokemon became fuelled with strength and repeatedly hit the crab Pokemon with its fists and feet. Kingler tried to deflect the hits with its claw, but it was overwhelmed with the strength and the poor crustacean Pokemon was sent off the ship into the sea. Ash raced over to the side of the ship and quickly took out the Pokeball and returned his fainted Kingler to its ball. Ash turned around and glared at Paul. Ash took out the second Pokemon he used and sent out Snorlax. The large Pokemon left the ball and let out a yawn.

Ursaring still thrashing about flung its body at the tired Snorlax. Snorlax grunted in annoyance as the hit collided with its belly. Snorlax grunted and rested before Ash could tell it to. As soon as it closed its eyes the body of Snorlax was healed immediately. Paul was annoyed at the thought that all Snorlax was going to do was fall asleep.

"Use slash to hurt it"

Ursaring raced to the sleeping Pokemon and it was a few millimetres away from hitting it when the sleeping Pokemon let out a loud snore. Once again the lazy Pokemon used its own moves. This time the move was effective as the unprepared bear Pokemon fell back at the loud noise from the sleeping Pokemon. Snorlax spoke softly in its sleep and suddenly its body stood up and shot towards the Ursaring. Snorlax collided and sent the Ursaring flying off into the distance. Paul was lucky enough to get his Pokeball out and returned his Ursaring before it was too late. Paul had to choose his next Pokemon which showed it to be Magmortar.

"Now burn it with flamethrower" Paul said.

Magmortar aimed its cannon at the sleeping Pokemon and released the flames that covered the sleeping Pokemon who slept through the pain.

"Snorlax use sleep talk" Ash shouted.

Snorlax ended up using rest as it fell into a deeper sleep. Magmortar let out a deep chuckle as it saw its enemy was in a deep sleep making it easy prey.

"Now build up with fire blast" Paul ordered.

The large fire Pokemon aimed its cannon at the sleeping Pokemon and released a large star shaped fire blast at the sleeping Pokemon that winced, but just remained asleep.

"Now use hyper beam" Paul commanded.

The fire Pokemon aimed its arm cannon and charged up a large yellow beam at the Snorlax. It only took a few seconds for the Pokemon to charge up its hyper beam to let loose on the lazy Pokemon.

"Please Snorlax use something with sleep talk" begged Ash.

Magmortar let loose its hyper beam directly at the Snorlax. Just before it hit the Snorlax rose to its feet, still asleep, and charged through the hyper beam. Snorlax's momentum slowed down as hyper beam pushed it back. Snorlax's pace slowed down till it hit Magmortar who stumbled back into the railing and fell over. Paul could only watch on as the steam from the sea rose up due to the Magmortar evaporated the water. Paul moved over to the railing and returned his fainted Pokemon to its Pokeball.

Paul turned around to see Ash return his exhausted Pokemon to its ball. Paul glared and sent out his last Pokemon showing itself to be a Torterra. The ship was able to support the weight of all the heavy Pokemon that had fought luckily. Ash reached out and sent out his last Pokemon that was his Sceptile. The two Pokemon glared at each other, twitching and ready to fight.

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Right here is the next instalment and the next chapter will be with you on Friday (hopefully). Please read and review.


	14. Just desserts

**Right here is the next one for you. I hope you enjoy it.**

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"Now Torterra knock Sceptile off the ship with leaf storm" Paul shouted.

"Dodge it with agility" Ash shouted back.

Torterra aimed its mouth at Sceptile unleashed a barrage of sharp leaves in the direction of the agile Sceptile. Sceptile skilfully leapt through the storm and landed on the large turtle Pokemon's back. The large turtle Pokemon groaned angrily as it shook its body trying to shake off Sceptile.

"So you're just going to hide and not use your true power. Guess you're just going to try and annoy me to a draw" Paul said angrily.

"Sorry Paul. Sceptile use X-scissor on the trees on its back" Ash said.

Sceptile raised the blades on its arms and sliced at the trees on Torterra's back. The grass Pokemon let out a loud groan of pain as the super-effective move boosted the power of the attack. The sliced tree on Torterra's back cracked under the hit from Sceptile. Paul glared at Ash 'He knows nothing of power if he is going to hide. Aeleus would have killed him if I hadn't weakened him' Paul thought to himself.

"Torterra giga drain" Paul shouted.

The large turtle Pokemon used its energy to absorb power from Sceptile and then channelled the energy into the tree on its back. The tree slowly healed and stood as strong as it was before the battle. Sceptile on the other hand was barely affected by the grass move. Ash knew that Paul would try using that move again so knew he would have to up the ante.

"Sceptile use agility to speed up your attacks. Then attack with X-scissor" Ash ordered.

Sceptile filled with great speed shot around Torterra hitting it repeated. Torterra winced as its trees and body were sliced brutally. Sceptile after building enough momentum then leapt just above Torterra and then released all the energy into the back of its neck. Torterra let out a loud scream of pain as the hit connected causing the head of the grass Pokemon to be knocked down. Paul was filled with rage at what Ash was going to say next.

"Say Paul is that enough power for you?" Ash asked tauntingly.

Overwhelmed with anger Paul shouted his final attack "Use earthquake".

The combatants caught up in the battle did not realise the danger of the last attack. All Ash did was command his Sceptile to use detect. The large Torterra raised its large foot in the air. The large Pokemon was just about to lower its foot with an almighty crash if it weren't for the loud scream of a certain black haired girl.

"STOP!"

Torterra halted its foot from hitting the deck of the ship and looked over to the angry girl in front of it. Luckily for the passengers of the ship Dawn had arrived in time to see the battle. Dawn, May and Brock were waiting for Ash in the dining area when they heard a loud blast from the deck. As soon as they made it to the area they had to force their way through the crowd till they could catch sight of the giant turtle Pokemon about to slam its foot on the ground.

"What the hell do you think you are doing Paul? You could have killed us all! And Ash you should have stopped him rather than gone along with it!" Dawn screamed again at the two fighters.

Ash felt guilty and embarrassed with his actions he took out his Pokeball and recalled his Sceptile. Paul, who was annoyed with the black haired girl for interrupting them, returned his Torterra to its Pokeball. 'Why does she feel that she has to interfere with anything' Paul thought angrily to himself. Paul moved his crutches forward to allow movement past the surprised crowd. Dawn was annoyed at Paul's lack of remorse and walked after him. Ash looked over to May and Brock and nervously rubbed the back of his head.

* * *

"What is wrong with you? Why couldn't you say just sorry?" Dawn asked angrily.

"Why can't you stop interfering and mind your own business" Paul remarked.

Dawn was a bit taken a back by this remark and just looked on at Paul as he tried to fish his key card out of his pockets. He let out a groan of frustration as he finally retrieved his key card, but it slipped from his grasp. Paul turned his head to see a smiling Dawn.

"Do you need some help" the girl asked sweetly.

Paul snorted at her comment. He hated the idea of having to get help from anyone let alone someone who would never let him forget it. Paul threw his crutches to the floor and stood firm. He then knelt down to pick up his card and swiped it in the slot. He then picked up his crutches and went into his room. Dawn stared in at amazement at Paul. She normally would be annoyed at the arrogance of Paul, but couldn't help be 'interested' at his strength.

* * *

As he stepped into his room Paul dropped the crutches and sat quickly on his bed. He picked up his foot and removed his bandages to see if he had damaged the scars further by 'showing off'. He let out a sigh of relief as no damage was done. He lied back on his bed and closed his eyes slowly so he could get some rest and heal up some more.

* * *

The boat pulled into Olivine city and weighed anchor. Ash and the group walked down the gangplank to the dock. Ash looked around the area to see if he could see a certain smug looking man in black robe. Ash looked around the whole area to see if the man was near them. Ash wondered over to the beach near Olivine city to see if he was near there. The group looked out to the sea to the Whirl Islands to see if the man was out there. Ash was becoming agitated with the absence of the man. Ash turned around and ran as fast as he could to cover more ground so he could hopefully find the man. Ash ran out of Olivine city and onto route 39. He kept running whilst keeping an eye on the areas near him and raced over to route 38 where Ash's endurance slowed down and he saw his friends catch up behind him.

"Well aren't you guys a sight for sore eyes"

Ash stood upright from his previous bent forward wheezing stance. Ash looked over to a tree where the man was leaning against. The man uncrossed his arms and slowly approached the group with interest in his eyes. He eyed Brocks slight bruising on his face and Paul's crutches.

"A bit of trouble going on eh champ?" the man said with a smart smile.

The group glared at the cocky man before them. Ash felt angry at how the man was standing their smiling, using silly names and mocking their injuries.

"Your friend Aeleus did this to us" Ash said angrily.

The man chuckled loudly at the statement given from Ash. He looked down at the spikey haired boy with amusement.

"He ain't my friend kiddo. He does this all by himself. I'm not the kind of guy who orders others to beat up people" the man said smiling.

The group eyed the man curiously as he just stood there smiling at the group. Ash realised the reason why he wanted to see the man in the first place 'Oh right the map' thought Ash.

"Do you have a map for us?" Ash asked curiously.

"No sorry kiddo. I still owe you the other prize you won" the man said smiling.

Ash was taken a back by the man's response. Ash however should have expected this. The man wasn't exactly a normal and obvious man. Everything he did seemed to be different each time. First he gave the enemies a map, then he oddly gambled with Ash and now he is giving Ash a prize from before. 'Just what is this man planning?' Ash thought to himself.

"What prize are you talking about" Dawn asked nervously.

"Ah now that would be a surprise. Sadly for you kids this is just a prize for old Ash over there. So I'll be taking Ash with me to the base" the man said smiling.

The group looked surprised at the man's blunt statement. Ash was confused how the man could think that the man could just take him to the base easily without a fight.

"Is this some sort of trap?" Dawn said piping up again for the second time.

"Would there be any point to me answering that?" the man said intelligently.

Paul smiled as he looked over to the girl who had been put in her place. 'That'll serve her for always opening her mouth and asking a pointless question' Paul thought to himself.

"And how are you going to make me come with you? Through force?" Ash asked the man.

The tall man chuckled at the courage of Ash standing up to a high ranking member of Team Rocket. 'Seems this kid really does have heart' though Luord to himself. The man slowly reached for two Pokeballs and sent them out. The balls cracked open revealing an absol and a sableye. Ash sent out his Pikachu and Donphan who stared down at their enemies.

"The loser will be the first one to run out of time" Luord announced "Now Sableye mean look and Absol use perish song".

As Luord ordered the attack his body glowed in a dark aura that then covered his Pokemon. As Sableye released its mean look not only prevented Ash's Pokemon from leaving the area, but also Ash and his friends. Absol opened its mouth and let out a tune that started out beautifully before falling dead at the end. Once again the tune not only rang through the Pokemon, but also through Ash and his friend's ears. Somehow the aura protected Luord and his Pokemon from the tune.

"What is with that aura?" Ash asked nervously.

"A simple power that we have, I have it, Team Rocket high ranking members have it, Misty has it and from what I've heard so do you" Luord stated.

Ash thought for a while what he said before he remembered when he encountered Sir Aaron and taught him to use his aura. Ash looked down at his hands and then at Luord. He noticed that the aura was flowing from his body rather than his hands. Ash knew he was wasting time, but he had to know to get an advantage against Team Rocket.

"How do you do it?" Ash asked again.

"Simple unlike Lucario's style of aura this comes from your connection with your Pokemon. The more they know you the more they are alike you. So the more you love them more your aura is connected to them. After you start to practise you can channel the aura to power to strengthen your Pokemon." Luord explained simply.

The entire group took in the information. Ash looked over to his Pokemon and tried to focus the aura the same way he did with Sir Aaron. After the slight aura formed on his hands he thought of all the good times and memories he had with Donphan and Pikachu. The aura then erupted like a flame and shot around his Pokemon who became empowered with this new found energy. Ash looked over to Luord who was smiling.

"You see we are made up of four states of being. There's physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Our spirit is our life force and as such is the commanding state of being. The spirit can then influence the other states, so for physical it can give us the strength to endure pain or in others be our will power, for mental it can create aura to use as power like a Lucario would do and emotional gives us the strength to power our loved ones." Luord explained.

"And what if someone loses with six Pokemon" Ash asked hesitantly.

"We fade away as we have lost our entire aura" Luord stated bluntly.

"Aren't you afraid of the consequences" Ash asked nervously.

The man smiled and replied with "A true gambler can put the odds in his favour"

Although happy with the explanation Ash knew perish song lasted a while, but not for ever so he decided to use his aura to strengthen their already strong attacks.

"Pikachu use thunder and Donphan use rollout" Ash shouted.

Ash was surprised at the speed of the ground Pokemon at how quickly it rolled up and shot through the area. It had gained the momentum a normal Donphan would have had after using the move for the fifth time. Pikachu also surprised Ash as its thunder cracked out instantly and shot at the Absol.

"Absol use psycho cut and Sableye use shadow sneak" Luord calmly ordered.

Absol formed a purple energy in front of it until a purple blade started to form. Absol shot the blade at the thunder and it tore straight through the lightning causing the voltage to break up and dissipate into to nothingness. Sableye's body sank into its shadow and shot over to where Donphan had been while the elephant Pokemon rolled over the shadow. Ash could feel his body go odd, he had a nasty feeling that this was the cause of the perish song. Ash thought about using his aura to counter perish song, but his aura was not strong enough and he was too late to use it.

"Pikachu use iron tail on Absol and Donphan use earthquake."

"Defend with shadow sneak Sableye and Absol use night slash"

Sableye to defend from the earthquake that attacked all the Pokemon in the area sank into the ground as the ground quake from the tremor sent from Donphan. Absol had to resort to leaping from the quake to avoid it as did Pikachu. Pikachu then twirled its body at an amazing speed and then swung its shining tail at the dark Pokemon. Absol countered by slicing its claws at the tail to defend itself. The collision sent both Pokemon away and back to the damaged ground. Ash's Pokemon stumbled weakly at the feeling from the perish song. Ash was confused when he felt the same feeling. He looked up weakly at the tall blond man who was just standing there, looking intently at the boy.

"Pikachu use volt tackle and Donphan use hyper beam to boost Pikachu" Ash weakly ordered.

"Sableye go in front of Absol and use detect to defend him" Luord said.

Despite the perish song affecting them, Ash's aura gave them their energy to act as they normally did. Pikachu shot towards the ghost Pokemon whilst Donphan used it hyper beam to hit Pikachu from behind giving it a greater momentum. Sableye detected the attack and used it ghostly powers to phase a copy of its self to a different area. Pikachu was confused and shot into the copy instead. Pikachu and Donphan collapsed weakly to the ground.

Ash stumbled around until he lost the strength in his legs and fell to the floor. The group behind Ash fell to the floor as well. Luord slowly picked up Ash and threw him over his shoulder. Luord returned his Absol to its Pokeball and called his Sableye to use shadow sneak. Like all the previous times Luord sank into the ground and into his shadow. Luord was off to take Ash back to the Team Rocket Headquaters.

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Sorry for the late post, but I'll have the next one by Monday. So as usual please review and tell me what you thought about it.


	15. When two become one

**Right here on time is the next instalment. Warning there is a lemon which will be indicated by a break. You will know which break it is by the context. Please enjoy.**

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May slowly opened his and looked around her. Suddenly memories came flooding back to her. She remembered hearing that deathly tune in her ears. Next she remembered the man stopping every one of Ash's attacks until his Pokemon and everyone around him fainted. May heard a slight moving sound and looked over to Brock who was slowly waking up. Brock rubbed his eyes and looked over to the girl next to him.

"Where's Ash?" Brock asked.

May suddenly remembered Luord's words about taking Ash to the Team Rocket Head Quarters. May nervously looked around and saw Ash no where and May let out a sad sigh as there was no sight of Ash. May then turned her head over to the two sleeping people and a wicked plan formed in her head. She turned to Brock with a sly smile. Brock eyed her curiously and then looked over at the sleeping people and the same plan formed in his mind. Brock slowly moved Paul's body and laid him on his back.

May then reached over and lifted the body of Dawn to lie on top of Paul's. Brock moved Paul's arms around Dawn's back and then clasped them together. May quickly took out her camera and took a picture of the sight before them. May and Brock were giggling which caused Dawn to slowly flutter her eyes and see the sigh before her. Dawn let out a loud high pitch scream at being in Paul's arms. The loud scream caused Paul to slowly open his eyes and feel his stomach drop when he saw the situation he was in.

"Aw what a shame you two looked so cute together" May said giggling.

"Yeah it was really sweet when Paul held you while you were both asleep and you smiled contently Dawn" Brock said chuckling.

Paul glared darkly at the girl in front of him. Dawn on the other hand was blushing profusely. Unluckily for the 'couple' Dawn was frozen with embarrassment whilst Paul was beside himself with rage.

"Get off me" Paul said slowly through gritted teeth.

Dawn slowly moved her body off the furious boy; the slow action however only fuelled the laughter of the people behind them. When Dawn finally slid her body off Paul the boy stood up and briskly walked off to release his anger. Dawn just sat there with her hands covering her burning cheeks. 'I bet Ash won't end up in anything like this' Dawn thought to herself.

* * *

The man rose from the shadow and moved and returned his Sableye to its Pokeball. The man then walked with ease with the boy on his shoulder through to the Head Quarters. Luord made his way through till he saw the sight of Realen and Misty. Realen smiled at the unconscious boy. Misty just stared at shock at the body slung over Luord's shoulder. The man smiled at the two ladies before him.

"Good day ladies" said Luord curtsying.

"Hello Luord. Is that a gift for to have fun with" asked Realen with a smile.

Misty looked over to Luord with horror. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the desperate begging look in Misty's eyes pleading him not to give Ash to Realen. Luord smiled at the hopeful look in the little red headed girl's eyes. Luord had already planned what to say and how it would carry out.

"Actually I have this boy here under the orders of Leader for interrogation." Luord said.

The blond haired girl clapped her hands together and smiled with delight. Misty's faced drained with horror at the thought of Realen torturing Ash partly because it was her job and partly because she loved to do it.

"Very well I'll go get my tools" Realen said with delight.

As the girl was about to turn around leave she heard a chuckle from the man behind her. Realen and Misty both turned to the odd tall blond man who was laughing to himself. Realen gave the man a questioning look.

"What's so funny" Realen queried.

"I find it funny how you assume that you will be the one questioning Ash" Luord retored.

Realen looked at Luord confusingly and said boldly "Because I am the head of torture and interrogation in Team Rocket".

The man only chuckled again and retorted with "Yes but this is a special case. I don't believe you would be the right person to interrogate such a vulnerable mind. You would only end up making him useless. That's why young Misty over here will question him. She has a relationship with Ash so convincing him to give us useful information would be easy".

Realen just stood in absolute shock at the speech just given to her. Misty had felt butterflies in her stomach at the thought of being with Ash again. Luord stood still with his arms crossed waiting for the blond girl to regain her composure and respond back to him.

"Why would he order you to question him and what about? You're making this up this is completely out of character for Leader." Realen said in a barrage of questions.

Luord smiled and replied calmly with "Firstly why would I make this up. Secondly he wants to know why Ash is suddenly trying to stop Team Rocket. Thirdly I out rank you associate and if you don't like that you can complain to Leader, who I doubt would enjoy that, or you can talk to the Aeleus the other executive, but as you well know he is not one for conversations"

Realen knew Luord was lying, but there was no way Leader would listen to her and Aeleus would not care in the slightest. Realen glared darkly at the man and then turned on her heel and left them. Misty's mouth was hanging down at what had just happened; she looked over to Luord who gave her a curious look.

"So where do you want me to put him" Luord asked.

Misty nervously indicated to her room. She opened the door next to them and walked in. The girl reached over to the chair near her bed and placed it in the centre of the room. Luord placed the boy gently on the chair. Misty reached over for some rope from her desk and handed it to Luord who made light work at knot his hands together and his legs to the chair's legs.

"Luord. Thank you" Misty said softly.

"What ever for Misty?" Luord said with a wink.

Luord left the room and closed the door behind him softly. Misty looked down at her clothes and sighed. She wished she had her old clothes with her from the adventures she shared with Brock and Ash. She heard a groan and looked over to Ash who was slowly regaining consciousness. Ash slowly opened his eyes and as he tried to look at the figure in front of him he could only see it blurred. After focusing his eyes Ash looked at the figure that he could now identify as Misty. Ash's face lit up with joy and he saw his best friend at long last.

"Misty! Oh I'm so glad to see you can you please untie the ropes" Ash said smiling joyfully.

Misty could feel a twinge in her heart when she saw the over joyous boy in front of him. Misty looked at Ash and saw that he hadn't changed at all. He still wore the same goofy smile on his face. Misty regretted having to say these next lines to Ash.

"No. Ash why are you trying to stop Team Rocket?" Misty said bluntly.

Ash looked at Misty with confusion. 'What have they done to her' thought Ash worriedly. Ash could not figure out how Misty could be so cold to him.

"Misty it's me Ash don't you remember" said Ash hopefully.

Misty could not stand having to be cold to Ash. She wanted nothing than to throw her arms around him and give him a hug. Misty could feel her heart being cleft in twain.

"I need that information" Misty replied coldly.

"Misty what have they done to you? My Misty would never act like this" Ash said defiantly.

Misty turned around slowly so Ash could not see the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Misty could feel her stomach doing back flips as soon as Ash had said "My Misty". 'He does care, but he doesn't show it. I know he loves me, but he just doesn't understand love to another' thought Misty to herself. She turned to look at the innocent boy.

"Misty I know they've brainwashed you and I will break you free from it" Ash said strongly.

That remark led Misty to be overwhelmed with emotion as she found herself screaming at Ash "Ash I have not been brainwashed! I came here from my own free will and do you know why? Because of you Ash Ketchum! When you left me without even an ounce of regret I felt destroyed. Then I saw you after Hoenn and you were still treating me like a second class friend. I know I left to join the gym, but you showed me a world of adventure only to send me back to my prison with my spiteful sisters! You didn't even say 'oh no don't leave us' no you were fine with me leaving! I loved you and you didn't even notice! After that I couldn't stand it I had to leave the gym to get out into the real world and the only way I could do that was to join Team Rocket."

Misty looked over to Ash who was devastated. 'I did all this to her, without even realising' thought Ash to himself. Ash could feel a sickening feeling in his body. Ash felt the pricking of tears of salt threatening to fall. 'No I can't cry now' thought Ash defiantly. Sadly for Ash this one of the times when his will lost to his emotions and he cried right in front of Misty.

"Mist I'm so sorry" muttered Ash.

"Ash why are you trying to stop Team Rocket" Misty managed to say.

"I was trying to save you Mist" Ash managed to choke.

* * *

Misty lifted Ash face and leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Ash confused and not knowing what to do remained passive in fear that he might make a mistake. Misty moved her hands over to the knots on Ash's hands and untied them. Misty then moved to her knees and untied the knots on Ash's legs without breaking the connection they had on their lips. Misty grabbed Ash's collar and pulled him to his feet. Ash nervously placed his hands on her hips and wrapped her arms around his neck. Misty took a few steps back until she fell back onto her bed with Ash on top of her. Misty broke the kiss for and was looking up at the red faced panting boy on top of her. Misty let out a content sigh and stroked Ash's face softly. Ash could feel his face go redder at the amount of physical contact.

"Yep." Said Misty smiling "You really haven't changed Ash. And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Misty leaned forward and placed another kiss on Ash's lips and held him close. The young girl reached forward and tugged Ash's jacket off him and ran her fingers under his shirt. She smiled at how Ash's body was not 'ripped' or layered with muscles, but his body was lean and in shape. Misty knew Ash was the kind of guy who was too busy having fun than working out in a gym. That's why she was so attracted to him, because he was not obsessed with himself. Misty broke the kiss again to lift off his shirt and return to softly kissing him.

Ash had to admit that he was enjoying kissing his best friend, though he felt an odd sensation when he felt something long and wet press against his lips. He realised it was Misty's tongue and nervously opened his mouth. He felt an odd feeling as Misty's tongue stroked his softly. As his tongue slowly rose and stroked her tongue he could feel hers lovingly wrap itself around his tongue. Ash let out a groan of enjoyment at this new sensation. Misty moved her lips off his to lift off her top. Misty relished at the sight of Ash going bright red at seeing Misty's bra.

Misty giggled softly and released the clasp on the back to release her ample bosom. Misty reached forward and pulled Ash into her breasts. Ash instinctively placed his lips over her left nipple and sucked it. Misty let out a sigh of content and lied back on the bed. She held Ash close and stroked his back softly. She felt something odd on his back and looked in horror at the burnt skin.

She then looked down at the boy who was pleasuring her and smiled softly. 'He went through this just to save me?" thought Misty to herself. Misty felt Ash moved his lips over to her right nipple and give it the same pleasure. When she removed the boy from her right breast he looked up at her, nervous for what she might have in store for him next. Misty stood up on the bed and slowly unbuttoned her shorts and let them fall to the ground and then took a hold of her underwear and threw them to one side. Ash was now staring at his best friend for three years in all her glory.

Misty smiled softly and went down on her knees. The girl reached out and slowly unbuttoned and unzipped Ash's trousers. Misty was taking it slow rather than ripping off his trousers as she knew that might scare the boy if she went too fast. She knew Ash did not understand what was happening, but Misty was sure in the fact that if he did understand what making love was then he would be happily participating. Misty pulled Ash's trousers off and then took off his boxers. Ash looked down at his crotch in confusion as he saw his penis had grown hard.

Ash looked over to Misty who was smiling at him. Misty slowly pressed Ash so he was lying on his back. Misty leaned down and placed her lips softly on his. Ash, who had figured out what to do, pressed his tongue into Misty's open mouth and softly massaged her tongue. Misty broke the kiss and stared into Ash's eyes. She whispered 'I love you' into Ash's ear before forcing his member inside her. Misty winced as her walls were getting used to Ash's member. Misty then nervously moved her hips so his member moved through until it reached her virgin wall. Misty bit the bullet and pushed Ash deeper inside her. Misty let out a loud scream of pain as Ash took her virginity.

Ash looked at Misty's face that was riddled with pain. Ash immediately placed his arms around her and pulled her down to him. Ash rolled over so Misty was lying on the bed with him on top. Ash laid a soft kiss on his lips and held her softly. Ash after breaking for air laid butterfly kisses on Misty. Misty looked at Ash who was trying to cure her pain. Misty then moved them so that she was on top, straddling him. She placed her hands on his chest and smiled.

"Just lie back Ash and enjoy the ride" said Misty with a smile.

Misty bit her lip as the pain of Ash inside her stayed constant. Ash however was groaning in pleasure underneath Misty. He could feel a wet moist sensation on his member. After a while Misty felt the pain subside and feel pleasure fill her. Misty groaned and bucked her hips forcefully against his. Ash began to writhe on the bed in ecstasy as he could feel an odd feeling in his body. Ash thrusted his member into Misty as he could feel the pleasure rise. Ash grabbed the covers and clutched them tightly as Misty was screaming out his name in euphoria. Misty laid her body on top of Ash's and thrusted harder and harder against him until they both reached an orgasm. Misty wrapped her arms around Ash's neck and placed her lips on his. Ash wrapped his around her waist. The couple laid together in each others embrace as the two conflicting souls had become one.

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Right here it is and might I say earlier than expected. As always please read and review.


	16. The Queen of Hearts

**Here you go with the next chapter. Hope it pleases you.**

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Misty slowly opened her eyes. She felt a weight on her chest and looked down at Ash. The boy was resting his head on the orange haired girl with his arms around her waist. Misty and Ash after sharing their love had fallen asleep side by side so that they would see each other when they woke up. Typically Ash was once again asleep and Misty couldn't help but smile at the serene smile placed on his face. Misty heard the door open slowly and saw the face of Realen poke round the side of the door. A sly grin formed on the blond girls face.

"Well. Didn't know you had it in you Misty. Did you get the information?" Realen asked curiously.

Misty blushed profusely as she looked down at the boy asleep next her. Misty was glad they had the covers covering their body so Realen could not make any sly comments.

"Yes. I'll go tell Luord once I get changed" Misty said awkwardly.

"Alright. By the way nice body Misty" said Realen with a wink.

The blond girl left the room and closed the door behind her. Misty could hear the girly laughter of Realen echo throughout the whole base. Misty sighed and reluctantly removed the Ash from her body, immediately regretting it when she felt the loss of warmth. Ash stirred slowly as he looked up at the face of Misty. He smiled at her and wrapped his arms around her happily. Misty let out a sigh and removed Ash's hands she got up and started to change.

Ash turned away in embarrassment due to not being used to seeing his best friend naked. Misty after putting on her Team Rocket uniform walked over to Ash and placed a kiss on his burning forehead. The girl walked out of her room and sensed a presence next to her. She looked over to her left to see Luord leaning against the wall. He was smiling to himself while tossing a coin. The man stopped and looked over to Misty.

"Realen said you got the info? What is it then young lady?" Luord said courtesly.

Misty became nervous. She didn't want to tell Luord that Ash was defeating Team Rocket because of her, but she knew she couldn't lie to him because firstly he would know if she was lying and secondly he had this odd sense around him that made her want to trust him.

"He, he was trying to save me" Misty said reluctantly.

Luord smiled at the saddened girl. Misty looked up at the man who had placed his hand softly on her shoulder. He nodded slowly at her.

"Very well I shall go inform Leader" said Luord calmly. "Oh and in case you didn't know since we have the information Leader deems Ash expendable".

Misty froze in place. 'Expendable? They want me to kill Ash?' Misty thought worriedly. Misty stood still, horrified at the idea of killing her best friend. Luord eyed the girl curiously. He let out a loud cough to gain her attention.

"As I was saying you should make it quick by using a pistol and then use one of the verti-birds to dump his body in Lake Rage or you could cut out the middleman and just shoot him on the plane" the man said with a wink.

Misty looked at the man horrified at how calm he was about her killing Ash. 'What the hell is wrong with him?' Misty turned her head as she looked over at the sight of Ash, dressed, and leaving her room. Luord smiled at Misty and walked off. On the way out Luord bumped into Ash and muttered a small apology before leaving their sights. Misty reached for her holster and thought about what Luord had said to her and then suddenly it began to make sense to her.

"Come with me Ash" Misty said softly.

Ash nodded and walked with Misty, happy that he had finally found her. Ash reached over and grabbed Misty's hand and smiled at her. Misty had to find every bit of strength in her to remove her hand from Ash. Ash looked at Misty with confusion planted over his face. 'Why does she keep changing' thought Ash to himself.

Eventually the pair made their way to the hangar of the base. Ash had noticed that he was sent deeper into the base rather than taken outside so he could not see where he was. Misty clearly did not want Ash to know where the base was and to come back to the base and get himself hurt. Misty opened the door and climbed into the verti-bird. She held out a hand for Ash and he climbed into the plane with her. Misty walked over to the cockpit and told the pilot to go to Lake Rage.

Ash was sitting in deep thought. 'What's wrong with Mist?' Ash then thought about that other mystery that was the 'prize' Luord had promised him. Ash remembered when he won the Queen of hearts. 'Did Luord intend me to see Misty? There was the map, the Queen of hearts and King of Diamonds'. Ash began to realise that the King card must have symbolised the Leader of Team Rocket and the Queen card must symbolises Misty. Ash then felt a sick sensation as he had blindly gambled the card away. 'I almost gave up the chance to see Misty just so I could defeat Team Rocket' Ash could feel tears prick his eyes.

When Misty felt the plane take off she returned to Ash to see him near tears. Misty raced over to Ash and wrapped her arms softly around him. 'Oh no. Please tell me he didn't hear Luord' Misty mentally begged. Misty muttered shh sounds to Ash to calm him down. Ash leaned over to Misty and cried on her shirt.

"I'm so sorry Misty. I almost lost you" Ash sobbed "I almost threw everything away".

Misty just whispered loving words into Ash's ear and held him close. After what felt like a few seconds Misty felt the verti-birds stop flying and for them to stop moving and just hover. Misty looked out the nearby window and realised they were at Lake Rage. Misty let out a sigh and reached for her holster and unclipped the clasp. She stood up and took Ash with her. They moved over to the door of the Verti-bird.

Misty leaned forward and placed her lips over Ash's lips. Ash moaned softly at the kiss and held her close to him. Misty reached over to the handle of the door and opened it. Ash was too engaged in the kiss to notice the door open or the fact that Misty had removed her gun and had turned the safety off.

BANG! Misty pushed Ash's body and he fell out of the plane into the lake beneath them. Misty let out a shudder and walked into the cockpit and saw the pilot who had heard the gunshot and saw Ash's body fall out of the plane. Misty told the pilot to return to the base the pilot nodded in response. Misty walked out of the cockpit and sat down. She let out a heavy sigh and thought to herself 'I hope this works out'.

* * *

"Where do you think they took Ash?" Dawn asked.

Brock stood still with his arms crossed. 'Ash has been causing them problems so they would want to kill him, heavens forbid so to get rid of the body easily they would want to dump the body they would try Lake Rage where the Gyrados would eat him'.

"I think I have an idea" suggested Brock.

* * *

Ash rose from the waters and spat out any water that he had swallowed. He looked around and after realising he was in Lake Rage looked up to see a familiar plane fly off. 'Why did she do that?' thought Ash to himself. After thinking he finally realised why she did that. She faked the gun shot to trick the pilot and pushed him out so Team Rocket wouldn't kill them their selves. Ash noticed something odd in his jacket pocket. He reached in and pulled something familiar out.

Ash looked at the card in his hand and realised he was holding yet another map card. He saw that the marked area was near where he was. Ash swam to the edge of the Lake and climbed out. He made his way to the Poke centre where he was beckoned over by Nurse Joy. The woman told Ash that he had a call from a boy called Brock. Ash walked over to the nearby phone and picked up the phone.

"Ash?" Brock asked.

"Yeah Brock" Ash responded.

Ash could hear on the other line a sigh of relief and a squeal of happiness that he assumed came from May or Dawn. He doubted it was from Paul. Ash snapped out his thoughts of Paul squealing to respond to Brock relief.

"Where are you guys?" asked Ash.

"We're right next to Lake Rage" said Brock matter-of-factly.

"How did you know?" asked Ash surprised.

"I didn't, but I assumed that, that would be the best place to dump a body" Brock said.

Ash and Brock exchanged goodbyes and hung up. 'Trust Brock to use his head' thought Ash to himself. Ash shook himself from the water that had drenched his clothes. Ash turned around and left the Poke centre only to be greeted with the smiling faces of May, Brock and Dawn. His Pikachu leapt into his arms and happily licked his face. Paul however was busy thinking to himself.

"What happened Ash?" asked May.

"I don't really know. After being knocked out Misty then asked me why I was stopping Team Rocket. Then she put me on this plane and dumped me in Lake Rage" Ash explained.

"Did you tell her why you were doing it?" Brock asked.

"Yes" said Ash nervously to Brock.

"She must have been ordered to kill you. I'm guessing she pretended to shoot you to throw Team Rocket off the trail." Brock explained.

Ash was surprised how Brock could piece everything together and it would fit perfectly. Ash remembered hearing a gun shot and that must have been from Misty to trick the pilot. Ash remembered the card he found in his pocket and took it out and handed it to Brock. Brock looked interestedly at the card and took out his map. He then looked back and forth to the card and his map and then figured out their new destination.

"It's at the ice path" stated Brock.

Ash nodded at Brock and followed him over to the ice path that was not too far from Lake Rage.

* * *

The group stood outside the ice path where they saw a few Team Rocket grunts outside. Ash bravely strode towards the grunts who were talking to themselves. The grunts stopped their conversation to look at the boy in front of them. They immediately recognised him as 'Ash' or the boy who had been causing so many problems for Team Rocket. Just as Ash was about to reach for Pokemon he was halted by May.

"Don't worry about these guys. We'll deal with them. You save your energy for whoever's in charge" May said smiling at him.

Ash smiled at May's reasonable words. Ash looked over to Dawn who nodded slowly and took out her Pokeball and sent out her Pokemon. Brock and May followed suit. Ash looked over to Paul who was glaring at Ash shook his head defiantly.

"No I'm coming in there with you" Paul said darkly.

Ash looked at Paul oddly and then shrugged his shoulders and walked past the guards who were preoccupied by Ash's friends.

* * *

Ash entered the cave and took one step before slipping and landing on his back. Ash let out a groan of pain as he looked up at Paul who just snorted at him. Paul carefully moved past Ash as he made way through the cave. Ash rose to his feet and caught up with Paul. As they walked deeper and deeper into the ice path Ash could see a robed figure in front of them. Ash turned his head to look at Paul who had disappeared; Ash shrugged his shoulders and approached the man. The robed figure turned around and removed his hood. Ash recognised the man to be Meyd who had left Ash in the sea.

"Oh hey it's you from the sea. How's things?" Meyd said smiling.

"Yeah thanks for letting me almost drown. Anyway what are you doing here?" Ash queried.

"I'm just following orders from Leader." The man took out a card from his robe pocket and read it out "Build a generator to melt the ice then use the vast quantities of water as a valuable energy source".

"Well I'm here to stop you from doing that" Ash said strongly.

Pikachu let out a supportive cry for its owner as it stayed perched on his shoulders. Meyd looked down at surprise of Ash's hands glowing with aura. He smiled and realised that Ash had learnt how to use aura like they do. 'He must be special like us. This will be interesting' thought Meyd. The man unzipped his robe slightly to untie a string that was tied around his body and with a thump something was freed and hit the ground. The man pulled from behind him his sitar and then pulled a Pokeball free from his belt.

The man threw the ball out which cracked open releasing a Vapoureon which let out a beautiful battle cry. Ash called his trustworthy Pikachu out to battle the beautiful Vapoureon. Meyd strummed a few notes on his sitar to order his Vapoureon to attack. The water Pokemon released a haze from its body that shrouded the field. Ash could see its faint figure before hearing another set of notes that caused the figure to melt like water.

Pikachu gazed nervously around the haze to try and see the Vapoureon. As a few more notes where heard from the sitar player Ash noticed a bright sparkle ring of light blue through the haze. Ash heard a few more notes from the sitar as the outline of a wave started to form. The wave grew larger and larger until it shot out of the haze. Ash could catch sight of a pair of golden eyes before the muddy wave hit Ash and Pikachu.

Ash slowly stood up dazed from the hit. He noticed that his body was covered with aura; Ash instinctively looked over to his Pikachu who looked unscathed from the attack. Ash almost smiled with relief until he noticed that his Pikachu was covered in mud from the attack and unable to move from the ice on the floor. 'Damn he's using the environment just like he did in our last battle' Ash thought.

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Right sorry for it being a bit late, but the next one will be with you on Monday latest. Please read and review.


	17. Seeing is believing

**Right here we go with the next chapter and please enjoy it.**

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Pikachu lied on the icy floor unable to stand up or even see its enemy. Ash stared at Pikachu thinking desperately to solve the problem of the mud covering its body. As long as the mud was on Pikachu's body it could not use electricity. 'Come on I need to think of something' thought Ash. Suddenly a plan formed in his head.

"Pikachu use thunder as hard as you can" Ash shouted.

Pikachu complied and released a long jolt that coarsed around its body until the mud on it body absorbed the heat from the thunder and started to heat up. The mud released the heat into the ice beneath Pikachu that began to melt. As it did a small puddle formed under Pikachu which it rolled in to remove the mud. Pikachu climbed to is feet not that it could move its body freely due to the mud leaving its body. Ash heard a few notes being played and recognised them as the ones to command another muddy water attack.

"Pikachu heat the ice with thunder bolt" Ash ordered quickly.

Pikachu nodded and released a bolt of lightning into the ice which began to quickly melt allowing Pikachu a long line of water for it to move across. Ash saw the figure of a large wave forming behind the wave, it was then that Ash ordered his Pikachu to use its iron tail attack. Ash's body brimmed with aura that then flowed around Pikachu's tail. As the wave shot out of the wave Pikachu leapt over the wave and brought its tail down onto the wave slicing the wave in half.

The wave kept going until it collided with the wall of the cave. Ash stared at the water separate and disappear until the sight of the unconscious Vapoureon was visible. Ash saw a red laser appear from the haze taking the form of the Vapoureon and returning it. Another blast of light emerged from the haze in the form of a Surskit who was covered in a light blue aura. Ash noticed the aura was as strong as the aura around his Pikachu. 'That must be his favourite Pokemon. No surprise it is practically a dancing Pokemon' thought Ash.

Ash heard a few quick notes played that caused the little Surskit to suddenly shoot around Pikachu in the blink of an eye. Pikachu nervously tried to see the speedy Surskit until another distraction was ordered by Meyd on his sitar. A soft sweet smell was released by Surskit that confused Pikachu and made it lose focus. The after a few notes it was all over for Pikachu. Surskit's little mouth glow a bright light blue and it released an ice beam that froze the ice that had been melted by Pikachu. Sadly for Pikachu the melted ice was containing Pikachu's feet that were frozen by the ice beam.

Pikachu let out a wince of pain as its feet were frozen in place by the ice beam. The agile Surskit kept circling Pikachu and firing its ice beam around at the electric Pokemon until its entire body was frozen. Ash could feel a pain ripple through his entire body as his Pikachu fainted. Ash reached for Pikachu's ball, as he couldn't free it from the ice, and returned Pikachu. Ash let out a soft apology for his old friend and sent out a Pokemon who he knew would level the playing field.

Ash unclipped his next Pokeball and sent out his Charizard. Charizard let out a roar that shook the cave slightly. 'I remember that battle with Meyd and it did not have a single water attack move' thought Ash. The large lizard Pokemon dug its claws into the ice to stop it falling over.

"Charizard melt the ice with dragon breath" ordered Ash.

The large fire Pokemon released a long blue flame from its mouth that rapidly thawed the ice around it turning the surface watery. A few tunes where played that made the Surskit freeze the water as soon as it was melted. Ash knew this was going nowhere and Meyd would be one to lose the environment advantage. Ash gave up on the plan and ordered a different change of pace.

"Charizard use flare blitz quickly" said Ash

Charizard stopped the long blue flames and stomped its way to the Surskit, who was passive whilst it was freezing the area. As soon Charizard's fist was inches away from the Surskit a few notes where quickly played. Surskit darted past Charizard and shot around it. Surskit was able to easily avoid Charizard due to the combination of the haze, speed and sweet smell that lower the concentration of Charizard. Ash heard another set of notes played by Meyd and the Surskit span round the fire Pokemon it began to spurt out water over the area.

Charizard had trouble finding its footing due to the water covering the ice making it harder than usual to stand still. Charizard winced as the water being sported out was landing now on the tail of Charizard weakening the flame. As the tune was continuously being played like a depressing melody as the Surskit got faster and released more water into the air as it landed on the tail of Charizard. Ash did not know that water sport could be used as an attack move yet Meyd had used it just as that. 'Looks like I'll have to counter him with my own environment moves' thought Ash.

"Charizard use smokescreen" Ash shouted.

Charizard opened its mouth and a jet of black smoke sprayed out. The smoke collided with the haze and they mixed causing the haze to fade away. The coal smell covered the sweet scent causing the distraction to fade away. The tune however didn't cease and Surskit just kept going faster and faster and releasing more and more water. Ash was becoming agitated that whatever he did it did not benefit him. He could not see a thing and Surskit was getting stronger every second. 'Wait if Surskit is going faster and it can't see then it wouldn't see a long time attack in front of Charizard and because of its speed it wouldn't be able to stop in time' thought Ash.

"Charizard use dragon breath in front of you" whispered Ash to his Pokemon.

Charizard nodded and released a jet of dragon breath that shot through the smoke. Surskit could not react quick enough to avoid the sudden jet of blue fire in front of it and collided and hit the flames. As the fires pierced the smoke Charizard got a clear shot at the now trapped water Pokemon and released as much power as it had to defeat the speedy Surskit. Eventually Charizard was losing its energy and stopped the jet dragon breath hitting the Surskit. When the dragon breath stopped Ash saw the Surskit had fainted. As the smoke disappeared Ash saw the sight of Meyd wincing in pain.

The man recalled his Surskit and took out a Pokeball and threw it out into the arena. The ball cracked open revealing an energetic little Poliwag. The little Pokemon bounced happily around the icy area. Meyd plucked a few strings on his sitar causing the little Poliwag's mouth to fill up. The little Poliwag then spat out a large mud bomb that splattered all over Charizard and in particular the tail of Charizard. The weakened Charizard let out a cry of pain and collapsed on the floor. Ash felt another surge of pain through his body as he felt something sting in his stomach. Ash reached for Charizard's ball and returned it; Ash then picked his next Pokeball and threw it into the battle arena.

The ball burst open revealing his Kingler who struggled on the ice. Kingler's feet were not designed to be on the ice and it just kept on slipping around the area. Ash looked at the little Poliwag who was happily moving around the ice without having to touch it. Kingler however couldn't mimic the Poliwag's technique as Kingler was not as nimble as the little tadpole Pokemon. A melody was played by Meyd's sitar which caused the little Poliwag to start dancing around the area. 'What is Poliwag doing?' wondered Ash. Ash's answer came soon as he felt a trip of water hit his face. He looked up and could not believe his eyes. The little Poliwag had created a rain cloud inside the ice path that started pelting the area.

Poliwag was happily bouncing around in the rain and at the command of the attack issued through a tune the little Poliwag shot out a jet of bubbles strengthened by the rain falling down. Kingler easily blocked the hits with its claw and barely felt anything. Poliwag happily bounced around firing bubbles at Kingler, never ceasing from attacking. Kingler though having found ease against Poliwag's attacks, the rain added to the difficulty for Kingler to stay steady and the force of the bubbles caused Kingler to slightly move. The wet ice however made the slight force greater and caused Kingler to slide backwards into a wall.

"Kingler use crabhammer" Ash shouted.

Kingler tried to hit the small tadpole Pokemon with its claw, but only ended up sliding along the ice towards the nimble water Pokemon. Poliwag easily bounced over the sprawling crab Pokemon. Kingler winced as it came into contact with iced wall. The crab Pokemon managed to stand up before slipping and falling again. It looked over in jealousy at the tadpole Pokemon who was happily and easily jumping around on the ice. A few notes were played and the little tadpole Pokemon's mouth filled up until it spat out a ball of mud at the crab Pokemon's legs. Kingler winced as the mud stuck together preventing it from moving at all. 'Great I knew I should have left Kingler with a non-physical move. Crabhammer would get rid of the mud, but also hurt Kingler as would hyper beam, slam would do nothing and so would guillotine. Guess there's nothing left to do' thought Ash.

"Kingler use hyper beam" ordered Ash.

Kingler raised its claw and it opened revealing a bright yellow ball of light. The ball grew and grew until the beam shot out straight at the Poliwag. Sadly for the little tadpole Pokemon it could not react fast enough for the attack and was engulfed in the energy. As the beam subsided Ash could see the fainted Poliwag, Meyd reached for his Pokeball and returned his fainted Poliwag. Meyd then pulled out his next Pokeball and threw it out. The ball opened revealing a happy little Spheal. The Spheal was slowly moving its body side to side as if listening to a tune.

Kingler had to remain still and recharge whilst the Spheal was able to move about. The sitar let out another tune that caused the little Spheal to shake its body releasing a cold air from its body. The change in temperature then reacted with the rain and caused it to freeze. Ash noticed the Spheal was using hail and then saw the Spheal open its mouth and blew some powered snow at the paralysed crab Pokemon. Kingler winced as the snow covered it, drastically lowering its temperature. Ash noticed Spheal smile at hearing the next tune played by Meyd. Spheal shook its body as the temperature began to drop. Ash hugged his body as he felt the cave go very cold. Ash looked over to Kingler whose body had gone bright blue. Kingler slowly past out at the strength of the one hit knockout move.

Ash felt a cold pain surge in his body. He managed to reach for Kingler's ball and returned it to its Pokeball. Ash reached for his next Pokeball and sent it out. The ball burst open revealing a very large and tired looking Snorlax. The Pokemon let out a loud yawn and scratched its belly. Meyd wasted no time in issuing an attack with his sitar. The Spheal opened its mouth releasing another spray of powder snow at the Snorlax. The snow hit the large Pokemon's belly who just ignored the attack and wiped the snow off its belly and didn't even feel the hail landing on its body.

"Snorlax use giga impact" ordered Ash.

Snorlax leapt at the Spheal by sliding on its belly at the small seal Pokemon. The little seal Pokemon could not avoid the giant Pokemon as it collided with the Spheal. The water Pokemon went flying and hit the wall near it. Snorlax then hit the wall and promptly stopped moving. Spheal fell off the wall slowly and hit the floor fall unconscious. Meyd winced and grabbed his side as the Spheal had fainted. Meyd had to recall his Spheal and send out his second from last Pokemon. The ball opened revealing a Tentacool. The Tentacool glared at the Snorlax as it had remembered it from the last battle. Meyd played another set of notes that caused the Tentacool to shoot out a set of toxic spikes around the area.

Snorlax noticed this and thought that it should be careful where it stepped as to not be poisoned. Ash heard another set of notes played and the Tentacool leapt into the air and span its stings and started wildly whipping Snorlax to the beat of the music. Snorlax let out a groan of pain as it felt the poison sting from the Tentacool. Snorlax's stubby arms tried to catch the stings, but could not react soon enough. Suddenly the tune changed and the Tentacool vomited a spray of acid all over Snorlax who winced in pain. Snorlax was becoming irritated and before Ash could order it to do so it caught the Tentacool and charged full pelt into a wall causing the Tentacool to become crushed. Snorlax let out another yawn and fell safely on its back and went to sleep.

Ash was happy with himself as he had knocked out all but one of Meyd's Pokemon and he still had three Pokemon to use. Ash's confidence took a knock when he discovered what Meyd's trump card was. Meyd recalled Tentacool and threw the final ball out and it burst open with great power. A powerful looking Pokemon slowly took a step forward as its bright blue body reflected great beauty. Ash could feel his breath caught in his throat at the sight of the Pokemon. The water Pokemon easily took another step on the ice as it found no trouble on the icy area. Ash could not help but utter the name of the legendary Pokemon.

"Suicune" Ash gasped.

The powerful Pokemon looked at Ash who nodded softly at him before it stared at the lazy looking Pokemon who was fast asleep. 'How did he get Suicune? Thought Ash. Ash then looked at the sitar and heard a soft melody being played that lulled Suicune. Ash then concluded that Meyd must have befriended the Pokemon with the use of his musical talents. Ash saw the aura from Meyd was glowing a deep blue and was strengthening the legendary Pokemon. Suicune then released a soft mist from its body that spread around the area. Snorlax lay asleep until its body was violently thrown to the side of the wall by the gust sent by Suicune. Snorlax grunted and landed on the ground causing a low shaking sensation that rocked around the ground.

As Snorlax slowly opened its eyes a strong jet of water raced from the mist, being strengthened by the hail. The hail was being shot from the water and hit the Snorlax harder than usual. Snorlax was then knocked back again into the wall by the painful hydro pump. Snorlax was being continuously hit by the hydro pump until it could feel the water crush against the wall. Snorlax closed its eyes and fainted from the pain. Ash felt a strong pain coarse from his body as Snorlax was knocked out. 'I really don't want to find out what happens if I lose my next two Pokemon' thought Ash worriedly to himself.

Ash picked up his Pokeball retuned the lazy Pokemon. Ash then sent out a Pokemon that he knew would help him. The ball burst open revealing his Sceptile. The Sceptile looked around it in confusion at not being able to see its enemy. Suddenly a strong pump of water shot out and hit the grass Pokemon knocking it into the wall behind it. Sceptile became angry at the jet of water hitting it.

"Sceptile use leaf blade and slice the water jet in half" Ash ordered.

Sceptile raised its arm and lowered the blade onto the water slicing the water allowing Sceptile to roll under the water and jump out of the way. The water then stopped and Ash was in silence aside from the same tune being played that Ash assumed would strengthen Suicune until a note was played. Then without warning a strong gust of wind shot the Sceptile up into the air and hitting the ceiling until the gust ended and hit the floor. Sceptile slowly got up and felt a strong wind being blown from behind Suicune making the water Pokemon move faster which was caused by the melody being played. Sceptile was then shot into the wall by another gust and fell on the floor.

"Sceptile try to use detect to find the Suicune then use leaf blade" Ash ordered.

Sceptile stared into the mist then saw got a lock on. Sceptile leapt into the mist with its blade raised. Ash could only listen to the sound of a potential fight. Ash heard a few swipes from what he assumed from Sceptile. Ash looked hesitantly into the mist when suddenly his Sceptile was shot out of the mist into a wall being crushed by the hydro pump. Then a strong gust blew the grass Pokemon high into the air knocking it about before just letting it fall to the ground. Sceptile had no energy to climb back to its feet and just laid there. Ash then felt a heart wrenching pain soar in his body as Sceptile had fainted.

He fell to his knees and clutched his chest as the pain stabbed him. Ash could feel a stray tear drop from his eyes. He could see bright lights as his vision for a moment was impaired. Ash felt the pain slowly weaken as he got used to the pain. Ash recalled his Sceptile and sent out his final Pokeball. Ash regretted the thought of his ground Pokemon versus the water Pokemon. As the ball opened the happy elephant Pokemon let out a trumpet from its armoured trunk. 'I wonder if the technique I used last time will work this time' thought Ash. Ash released the remainder of his possible aura into Donphan who happily smiled at the new sensation.

"Donphan use defence curl followed up by rollout" Ash shouted.

Donphan smiled and curled up into a ball, but before it could attack a jet of water shot out and hit the curled up Pokemon and crashed into the wall. Ash winced and braced himself for the great pain that was about to hit him. To his surprise the pain never came. Ash opened his eyes and saw the Donphan was rolling on the spot before it rocketed to the direction of the water. When another jet of water hit the spinning boulder, the aura seemed to almost bend the water away to one side as Donphan slowly, but surely rolled towards the direction of the water. Donphan rolled through the mist until it connected with the unexpected Pokemon. Ash did not see the hit, but heard the cry of Suicune. Ash saw the sight of Donphan curled up being sent out of the mist by the gust. Ash was surprised how Donphan was fine with the hit despite flying attacks being super-effective against ground type Pokemon.

"Quick Donphan use hyper beam" Ash shouted.

Donphan, brimming with energy, raised its trunk and released all the energy given to him by Ash with the hyper beam. Ash hoped that the hit would connect and he noticed that the speed of the beam was much faster than he had ever seen due to the effect of his aura. The attack pierced through the mist and hit Suicune. Suicune collapsed from the pain and fell to the floor. Ash looked around and saw the mist fade away. Ash then turned his attention to Meyd. To his shock he saw the man fall to his feet and throw his head back and his hands behind his head.

"No way!" Meyd shouted.

Ash watched in horror as the man slowly faded away before his very eyes.

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Right here it is then, a bit late yes, but still with you. As always please review and tell me what you think.


	18. Branching off

**Right I'd just like to thank those who kindly reviewed the fan fic and I forgot to thank them in the fan fic which would be: Zuel, DragonPrincessx3, tmp1114, Aussieking, dbzgtfan2004 and of course pokemaster101. Anyway please enoy:D.**

* * *

Ash stared at the man just fading away. Ash returned his Donphan and slowly approached where the man used to be and felt around for any physical presence. Ash felt nothing and the words of Luord echoed in his head about people just 'fading away'. 'Have I just killed a man?' questioned Ash to himself. Ash looked down at the six Pokeballs on the floor and Suicune. He picked up Suicune's Pokeball and returned it. 'Guess these guys are going to need a new home' thought Ash. Ash slowly backed away from the empty space and walked carefully out of the icy path. Ash looked around him as he saw Brock, Dawn and May smiling to them selves at sending the grunts packing. Dawn noticed Ash looking at them and smiled, she then looked confused at the lack of Paul.

"Er what happened to Paul?" asked Dawn.

As if by magic a Paul emerged from the cave looking at the people before him and in particular Ash who wanted to know why Paul had left him. Paul however didn't care in the slightest what Ash may think.

"What happened Paul Why did you suddenly leave?" Ash asked curiously.

"I must have taken a wrong turning" suggested Paul.

The boy turned around and walked off, leaving the behind him lost in confusion at Paul's increasing distance from them. Paul left the group so he could be alone with his thoughts. 'So that's what happens when you lose' thought Paul.

* * *

'_Why isn't this working?' thought Paul angrily to himself. Paul was staring at his hands trying to charge aura. He looked over from the rock he was crouching behind to see the battle. Paul stared enviously at the aura being released from Ash's body. Paul thought about the aura being released from Aeleus's body. The dark red fiery aura blasted from Aeleus's body. The aura was so powerful that it knocked Paul and his Pokemon. 'I want that aura. I must have' thought Paul angrily. The fury seemed to unlocked something inside Paul that caused his hands to glow a strong deep blue aura. Paul smiled darkly at his hands. Paul then looked up from the rock to see Meyd screaming and disappearing from view. Paul eyed the sight with interest._

* * *

Ash and the group made their way to Olivine City to make their next and hopefully last trip on a ship. After purchasing their tickets the group made their way onto the ship and went to their respective rooms. Ash took out his belongings and placed the picture of Misty on his nightstand. Ash sat on his bed and thought about the moment he had shared with Misty. 'What was that? It was so magical I can't begin to explain it. Maybe it doesn't have a name, maybe it's just called it' mused Ash to himself as he thought about the special moment he had shared with Misty at the Team Rocket Head Quarters. Ash's thoughts were disturbed as he heard a knock at his door. Ash walked over to the door and opened it only to be greeted by the smiling face of May.

"Hey Ash we were going to go off exploring the ship. You fancy coming along" asked May politely.

"Sure let me just get my jacket" said Ash smiling.

Ash reached over to his bed to pick up his jacket. He held out his arm for the little electric mouse to scurry up onto his shoulder. Ash smiled at Pikachu and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He looked over to Dawn and Brock who were busy conversing. They smiled at Ash they started walking down the corridor. A thought suddenly hit Dawn and she stopped walking. She looked at her friends who were still walking and was confused how they hadn't reached the same realisation as she had.

"Hey guys aren't we going to ask Paul?" Dawn asked innocently.

Brock and May let out a sigh as they knew as soon as Dawn mentioned it, Ash being the accepting person he was, would want Paul to join them. 'What a waste of time. Paul will only say no and then make another one of his remarks.' May thought to herself. May and Brock turned to see, to their disappointment, a beaming Ash who was delighted at the fact of Paul joining them and to join in the festivities.

"That's great. Hey why don't you go get Paul and we'll meet you at the buffet" Ash said smiling.

Dawn smiled happily and turned around to head to Paul's room. She was happy at the idea of finally forming a bond with the unsocial Paul. 'Maybe me and him can finally be friends. Who knows maybe I can be the one who changes him' thought Dawn happily. Dawn skipped over to the door and knocked on the door. Paul smiled to himself as he felt the aura glow brightly around his body. Paul smiled menacingly to himself. He lost his aura and his concentration when a knock at the door surprised. Paul groaned in frustration as he strode over to the door. Paul had stopped using his crutches early as a test for his body. His 'friends' decided it was best not to questions. As Paul swung the door open he looked at the surprised face of Dawn. Paul just glared at her.

"What do you want?" Paul asked bitterly.

"We were going to explore the ship. We wanted to know if you wanted to join us" Dawn said in her usual hopeful optimism.

"No" Paul said bluntly.

He slammed the door in her face and went back to where he was standing. He tried to charge his aura as he had before, but to his horror it did not return. He tried to charge it, but his thoughts were clouded with thoughts ever since his concentration was wrecked by a certain cheery blue haired girl. 'Bloody girl' thought Paul to himself. After coming to the realisation that he wasn't going to get any work done he opened his door to be met once again by Dawn who was walking slowly down the corridor. The girl turned around and smiled happily at the thought of converting another person to socialising. Paul caught up to the girl and ignored her smile. He just kept on walking ahead.

* * *

Ash sat down at the buffet table and let out a content sigh. He smiled down at the meal in front of him and rubbed his hands with glee. Just as he was about to dig in he felt a tap on his shoulder. Ash turned his head and looked at the man behind him. He was wearing a below waist coat with a detective hat placed on his head. The man stared at Ash through his dark specs. From what Ash could gain from the man's mostly covered face, he could tell the man was wearing a calm stoic facial expression.

"Are you Ash?" the man asked in a deep voice.

Ash looked up at the man nervously and replied with "Er yes I am. Who are you?"

"I am Detective Eclipse." The man said showing a badge as proof. "And I am tasked with investigating Team Rocket. From what I found out this is the location of their Kanto base" the man said as he held a piece of paper to Ash.

Ash took the piece of paper and read it. From what he could figure out from the instructions the base was located in Viridian forest. 'Makes sense, that would be a hard place to find anything.' Ash thought. He looked down and saw a little Eevee staring strongly at Ash. Ash noticed that despite its size it had a dark look about it. Ash couldn't quite explain the feeling he was getting. Ash turned his head back to the man.

"You know we're heading there now. If you want you can come with us to arrest them and-"Ash said.

Before his sentence could be finished, Ash found himself choking on smoke. He waved his hands trying to knock the smoke away. As the smoke disappeared he noticed the man had vanished with his Eevee. 'That's odd' thought Ash. Ash then looked over to the sound of the doors of the buffet area swinging and saw Dawn talking happily to the annoyed looking Paul. 'No wait that's odd' thought Ash.

* * *

As the ship pulled into dock Ash knew they had one last place to visit. 'This is it' thought Ash to himself. Ash looked over to Brock who smiled at him and gave him a reassuring nod. The group set out to make there way to the final destination, but not before making their way to a nearby Poke Centre.

* * *

The group were standing outside the large impressive forest known as the Viridian Forest. Ash let out a sigh and entered hesitantly. As the group made their way through they stopped at a fork. Dawn thought of what to do next, but Paul anticipated her speech.

"Well it seems that we'll have to split up. How about-" Dawn started.

"I'll go with Ash to the left. Makes sense to put the smaller team with the best trainers." Paul said quickly.

Paul walked off quickly before anyone had protested. Ash sighed and walked quickly after Paul. Dawn smiled at how she was helping Paul 'I've made him more sociable. The old Paul would have just grunted' Dawn though hopefully to herself. She walked off with Brock and May in the other direction. After walking for what felt like a decade Ash let out a sigh of annoyance, he looked over to Paul with curiosity. There was something bothering him.

"Hey Paul why did you want to go with me? I mean your not one to suggest a plan that will help out the group" Ash asked.

Paul looked over to Ash with annoyance and let out a sigh of defeat and spoke "I didn't, I just didn't want to be paired with Dawn and May and die of a thirty minute conversation between them about shoes. I didn't think you would speak that much anyway."

"Well if you wanted to be walking with someone who would be silent why not Brock?" Ash asked.

Paul stopped in his tracks. He had forgotten about Brock and muttered a curse. Paul then went back to walking and caught up with Ash. Ash and Paul kept walking for what felt like decades not finding anything similar to a Team Rocket base. Ash was confused how they had yet to even come across a grunt. Ash and Paul had gone so far into the woods that they had gotten themselves lost. Yet it wasn't until they had gotten lost that they had found someone, a couple to be exact, a blond woman and a pink haired man hungrily kissing each other. Normally the sight of a couple sharing their affection was a beautiful sight, but this scene was unnerving for Ash for one reason that he could put his finger on what that was.

It wasn't until having to see this sight for a while that Ash noticed the woman's control over the man. She seemed very physical and forceful over the man. Ash could see now how animalistic the lovers were. The blond haired woman removed her lips from the man's and smiled at the boy before her. Ash then felt a cold feeling rush through his body as he recognised the woman before him. Paul stared curiously at the two people before him as he had never met them before, he looked over to Ash and saw his horrified reaction, Paul then looked at the people's clothing and saw the black robes that they were wearing. 'No doubt about it. They must be from Team Rocket' deduced Paul.

"Hello little boy. Does Mummy know you're out by yourself in this forest where bad people might be?" Realen said.

Ash stared at the eerily uncomfortable woman. Ash could feel his muscles tighten up as the woman smiled at him and trailed her tongue along her lips. He felt her eyes boring into his very soul as if she was scanning his every essence of being. After having her fun with the boy she darted her eyes over to the friend of Ash with disturbing delight flickering in her eyes. Paul just stared back at the woman with vicious dislike. The long haired boy stared at the woman almost inhumanly at his lack of fear. 'This one's tough' thought Realen. Luriama stared at the new person before them, and looked at him with interest.

"Where is the Team Rocket base?" Ash asked nervously.

The girl just let out a high pitch giggle at Ash's question. Her partner looked at her and smiled at her enjoyment at Ash's question. When the girl had done laughing she smiled at Ash and snapped her fingers. Ash and Paul looked around them hesitant at the thought of something landing on them or coming from the woods. That was their mistake. Before Paul knew it he felt a large body charge into him forcing his body through the woods never stopping. Ash stood still and looked over where Paul was standing. He looked over to Realen where Luriama was standing. Ash noticed that two people had left and know only two people where left.

"Well, well, well looks like its just you and me" Realen said smiling to Ash.

The girl reached to her belt and took out a Pokeball. She threw the ball into the air and it burst open revealing a sweet little Pichu. Before Ash could order his Donphan out, Pikachu leapt out into the area and smiled at the Pichu happily. Ash sighed at his poor Pikachu being trapped by the pretty Pichu. Pikachu's eyes lit into hearts at the sight of the smiling little Pichu. Realen smirked at her Pichu's power over her opponent's Pikachu.

"Pichu use charm" Realen said smiling.

The little Pichu walked slowly up to Pikachu and started to smile flirtatiously at the infatuated Pikachu causing its attack to fall and stare dreamily at the Pichu. After the next order from Realen the little Pichu approached Pikachu with a devious smile on its face. The little Pichu leaned forward and pressed its little lips onto Pikachu's cheek. The sensation made Pikachu's body go a bright red as it started to get dizzy. The move rather than confused Pikachu made it faint from embarrassment and delight. Ash just looked in shock at his first Pokemon who had already been knocked in two moves.

Ash glared at Realen and retrieved his Pikachu and put him next to him. Ash reached for his next Pokemon and decided to end it quickly with his Donphan. As Ash threw out Donphan's Pokeball he noticed that Realen had recalled her Pichu and sent out her own Pokeball. The two Pokeballs burst opened revealing a Donphan for Ash and a Jolteon for Realen. Ash knew he had the upper hand and would repeat what he had done in their previous battle, but to Ash's surprise the woman looked as if she had been anticipating this.

* * *

Paul rubbed his head as he looked up to see a smirking pink haired man before him. As Paul got to his feet he noticed that Ash and Realen were no where near them. 'Fine by me, now I can do this' thought Paul to himself. In no time his body was glowing with a deep blue aura as he stared at the man before him. The man just smiled and released a similar blue aura around his body. Luriama took a Pokeball from his belt and sent it out. The ball burst opened revealing a Scyther who showed its strength by swiping its blades so fast it sliced the very air itself. The aura from Luriama engulfed the Scyther's blade making them even sharper. Paul just stood unimpressed and glared at the pink haired man. Paul took out his Pokeball and threw it out.

The burst open revealing an angry Ursaring. The bear Pokemon let out a loud roar as it's flexed its impressive muscles. The Scyther just smiled at a possible worthy enemy. The two Pokemon just sized each other. Scyther noted the impressive strength and Ursaring noted the sharp blades and speed that Scyther had. Paul saw that from the aura being strengthening Scyther showed that it was the Pokemon that Luriama had the best connection with. On the other hand Paul's aura was giving Ursaring the extra strength to increase its power, but it was no where near Luriama's and Scyther's.

"Scyther use swords dance" Luriama said coolly.

"Ursaring use hammer arm" Paul ordered.

Scyther starting performing an odd dance that formed the shape of a sharp blue sword, Paul stared at the sight and glared at the strong Scyther getting even stronger. Paul was even more annoyed when Scyther easily dodged the swipe from the giant bear Pokemon. Scyther then used its wings to fly above the Ursaring to prevent a follow through attack from the bear Pokemon. Ursaring was in keeping with its nature and was becoming frustrated with Scyther hovering above its head.

"Scyther use air slash" Luriama commanded.

"Ursaring counter with slash" Paul retorted.

Scyther flew down at the large bear Pokemon at a tremendous speed and swung its blade at the Ursaring. The large bear Pokemon countered the bug Pokemon's attack with its own slash attack. The strong bear claws of the Ursaring collided with the blade of the Scyther. Both Pokemon shot past each other standing still, until the effect of Scyther's blade took place. Paul looked on as his Pokemon's bear claws on his right arm had been sliced off leaving the Pokemon to look on in horror. Luriama smiled at his Scyther's clean blade and how it had easily sliced the sharp claw.

"Now use X-scissor" Luriama spoke.

Scyther held its twin blades together and then struck the torso of the bear Pokemon. Ursaring let out a roar of pain as the pain shocked through the chest of the bear Pokemon. Paul's Pokemon reeled back in pain and fell on its back from the force from the Scyther. Paul glared and returned his Pokemon back in its ball. Paul reached for his next ball and threw it out. The ball burst open revealing his fiery Magmortar. Ash and Paul both stared at their respective opponent and knew they were going to be in for hell.

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Right sorry about this being late, but due to computer issues and problems opening student bank accounts I was short for time. So in compensation I'll be uploading two chapters during the weekdays. As always please rate and review.


	19. The battle continues

**Right due to internet issues I'm only able to upload this chapter today.**

* * *

"Donphan use defence curl then follow up with rollout" Ash shouted.

"Jolteon use agility then use double team" Realen countered.

The ground elephant Pokemon curled into a tight ball to raise its defence. Donphan began to start spinning its body round on the spot. Before it could attack Jolteon had started moving at an incredible speed around the ground Pokemon. Donphan had trouble trying to get a lock on the pinned Pokemon that was darting around Donphan, however thanks to Ash's aura Donphan gained an immense speed that allowed it to catch up on the Jolteon to the point where it was about to run it over.

As the ball of earth gained on the electric Pokemon it then hit a bump knocking it slightly into the air, which gave it just enough momentum to hit the electric Pokemon. Donphan then shot through the electric Pokemon as it just disappeared. Ash looked at the sight and saw the figure of the Jolteon dissipate as if it was never there. Ash looked around him and saw multiple figures of Jolteon surrounding the spinning Donphan. Donphan then shot around at the multiple illusions of Jolteon until just one remained. However Donphan was getting tired of spinning so much, despite Ash's extra aura. Donphan then stopped spinning to take a break. Realen then took the opportunity to attack.

"Now Jolteon use pin missile" Realen ordered.

Before Donphan could react the pinned Pokemon shot out multiple pins from its quills at the ground Pokemon. Donphan winced at the hits being delivered at it by the electric Pokemon. Every pin hitting the Pokemon felt like a snake biting its skin. It did not help that Jolteon was firing a barrage of those snake bites at it. Donphan then curled up into a ball and resumed its previous order and started rolling at an alarming speed at Jolteon. Jolteon then shot past Donphan and continued making copies to confuse it. The rolling Pokemon shot through the copies only to spin towards a nearby tree. Donphan couldn't control itself and hit the tree. The sudden force caused the tree to crack at the body.

The tree lost its balance and fell to the ground. Jolteon, who had been darting around the area creating clones of itself, couldn't stop itself and collided with the fallen tree. As the electric Pokemon hit the tree it stopped abruptly and fell to its side and lied on the floor in pain. Realen winced in pain from Jolteon's fainting. Realen reached for Jolteon's Pokeball and recalled Jolteon. She then reached for her next Pokeball sent it out. The ball burst open revealing a pampered little Mareep. The little lamb was smiling to itself with the bow placed daintily on its head. 'Why is she using the same Pokemon that lost to Donphan last time' thought Ash.

* * *

Scyther stood boldly against the burning fire Pokemo. Paul was confident about this match up as he had his fire Pokemon against a bug Pokemon. Scyther was standing on its feet lightly; ready to dart to one side in the case of a attack. Magmortar stood tall and strong against its bug opponent.

"Burn it with flamethrower" Paul ordered.

Magmortar raised its cannon and released a jet of flames at the bug Pokemon. Scyther easily jumped to one side away from the flames. Magmortar simply kept the jet of flames going and moved its arm around after Scyther. Scyther sped up its bounces to avoid the following flames. Magmortar began to move its arm faster so that the flames could catch the bug Pokemon in the heat. The leaves and foliage of the forest were catching fire destroying the beautiful scenery around them.

Paul didn't care in the slightest, if anything the fires inspired his desire for power and need to win. Paul kept on shouting at Magmortar to increase its power. Magmortar responded by releasing more flames and turning its cannon arm faster. Scyther kept dodging until it found itself trapped in a circle of flames. Paul smiled to himself as he had gotten Scyther exactly where he wanted it to be.

"Now Magmortar fire a fire blast at the trapped Scyther" Paul shouted.

Scyther looked hesitantly around the flames surrounding itself. It tried to see through the flames to find the outline of Magmortar. Sadly it could not find the silhouette and was met with the fiery inferno that was the fire blast. The attack tore through the fire wall and engulfed Scyther and burned it like a thousand suns. Scyther fell limply to the ground and fainted. Luriama felt another sting of pain in his body. He merely reached for his next Pokeball and threw it out. Paul was annoyed at the next selection chosen as it came in the form of a ancient Kabutops. Paul would have questioned how he had gotten it if the man he was fighting was not in Team Rocket.

* * *

Ash just stared at the little ball of wool who was smiling happily to itself at how adorable it looked. Ash couldn't help notice how the Mareep's vanity was similar to its blond owner. Ash saw that the excited lamb Pokemon was ready and raring to go from the static electricity being emanated from its wool. Donphan on the other hand was exhausted from its battle with Jolteon.

"Mareep fire a signal beam" Realen ordered.

Mareep nodded and fired a beam at the tired ground Pokemon. Donphan tried to move out of the way, but it could not move in time and was hit by the beam. Mareep kept the beam going until it engulfed the elephant Pokemon. With amazing power the electric Pokemon slowly began to elevate the Donphan in the air. Donphan was screaming in pain as the beam was controlling its body. Eventually the little Mareep got tired and released the beam around large ground Pokemon fell to the ground and collapsed from pain. Ash found a stabbing pain form where his heart is. He placed a hand over his chest and fell to his knees in pain. Ash could feel tears pinch at his eyelids as he tried to hold them back.

The lack of strength from Donphan meant that the entire aura that Ash had invested had disappeared and now Ash was left with a pain from losing part of his essence. Ash breathed heavily as he looked up to the smiling eyes of Realen. Ash could feel her delight from his pain growing with every wheeze he made. Ash fumbled with the Pokeball from its clip and managed to activate the laser. The beam shot out and pulled Donphan back to the safety of its Pokeball. Ash then reached for his next Pokeball and tossed it out. The ball burst open to reveal a fierce looking Charizard.

* * *

"Kabutops use aqua jet to douse the flames" Luriama ordered.

Kabutops shot around the area covering itself with water. The armoured Pokemon had covered itself with water and collided with every burning piece of foliage that was set alight. Magmortar was becoming frustrated with the water Pokemon at its efforts to stop the flames being spread from the fiery Pokemon. Paul noticed how Luriama was becoming happier at the sight of the forest being cleaned from its fiery ailments. Paul noticed that the lack of flames meant that it would be easier for his Pokemon to attack as the flames would not be biting at them. 'I've got to win back that advantage' thought Paul.

"Magmortar use flamethrower" shouted Paul.

Magmortar raised its cannon and aimed it at the bladed Pokemon. A jet of flames poured out of the arm and at the straight at the bladed Pokemon. Kabutops stood still waiting for its master command, ready and waiting. Luriama was standing still smiling and waiting for the right moment. The flames were creeping closer and closer to Kabutops and everything in front of it was becoming engulfed in flames. It was then that Luriama ordered his counter.

"Charge through the fire with aqua jet." Luriama ordered.

The rock Pokemon once again covered its body in water and propelled itself through to Magmortar. The burning flames reacted violently with the speeding water jet causing the entire area to be covered in steam. Paul peered through the steam trying to catch a glimpse of his Pokemon or his opponents. Luriama was not worried. He knew he was going to win. As the steam faded away Paul saw to his horror that his Magmortar was doubled in pain from Kabutops. The large rock Pokemon raised its blades and was ready for the order.

"Now use slash" Luriama commanded.

Kabutops raised its blade high like an executioner's axe and then threw it down on the head of the fire Pokemon. At that instant everything froze for Paul. He saw his strong Pokemon slowly fall to the ground with a resounding thump. Paul didn't realise just how long he had been staring until he heard the loud cough from a certain pink haired man. Paul was never one to lose his focus and this troubled him. 'Is my loss of being causing this' Paul thought. Paul would never admit this to anyone, but the fact that to get power that he could become weaker. And this scared Paul. He returned his unconscious Pokemon to its Pokeball and threw out his next Pokeball. The ball burst open to reveal his third Pokemon, the large and imposing Torterra.

* * *

Charizard glared angrily at the sweet little lamb Pokemon before it. The little Mareep was smiling at the dragon Pokemon before it. Charizard disliked anything sweet and 'nice' and the opponent it was faced with ticked all the boxes. The fire Pokemon let out a loud roar to scare the Pokemon before it. The lamb Pokemon's body was shaken by the force from the roar, but the smile was forever planted on its face. Ash knew that Charizard's nature would conflict with the usual happy nature of Mareep giving Ash the advantage.

"Charizard use dragon breath" Ash ordered.

"Mareep use light screen" Realen commanded.

Charizard opened its mouth and released a blue stream of blue fire at the electric Pokemon. Mareep created a yellow screen of light in front of it that negated the fires and kept the lamb Pokemon safe from harm. Charizard however kept the flames going to try and break the wall down, but he could not succeed.

"Now use charge Mareep and then release your electricity with discharge" Realen ordered.

Charizard kept on attacking the wall to try and break it down, but it would not shatter. Mareep took advantage of this brief moment to charge the static wool on its body to the point where its body was shaking from the voltages running through it. Eventually Charizard released the rest of the strength in its attack and shattered the light screen. Before the fire could hit the woolly Pokemon it released a large discharge of electricity from its body that shocked through the entire area.

Charizard had no chance of avoiding the attack and felt the full voltage rush through its body, causing an unbearable feeling of its nerves being wrecked. The electric move caused more damage because of Charizard being part flying type. The little lamb Pokemon bleated happily at its proud work of weakening its opponent. Ash however was not phased by this and saw that Realen had left herself wide open for an attack.

"Charizard use flare blitz now" Ash shouted.

Before Realen could order a counter attack the fire Pokemon closed the gap between it and its opponent and attacked. The Charizard unleashed attack after attack and hit after hit. The lamb Pokemon's once pretty coat was ruined by the blazing fists of Charizard. Eventually the fighter slowed down and delivered one final attack sending the electric Pokemon across the area and into a tree. Realen let out a scream of pain as her aura was sucked away. She looked angrily at the boy and returned her once pampered lamb Pokemon. She then reached for her next Pokeball and sent out her Manetric.

* * *

"Leaf storm now" Paul ordered.

"Counter with night slash" Luriama countered.

As every leaf was fired out from the large turtle Pokemon, Kabutops raised and lowered its blade swiftly, cutting down every one. Paul was surprised by the swift speed of Kabutops to stop thousands of leaves. Kabutops then stood still in a fighter's stance ready to counter Torterra.

"Now slice down its trees with night slash" Luriama ordered.

"Counter with leaf storm again" Paul shouted.

Torterra fired a barrage of leaves at the armoured Pokemon, but it simply cut through the leaves and made its way to Torterra's back and shot through the tree trunks with its blades. The two trees fell and landed with a thud on the grass Pokemon's back causing even greater pain. Torterra shook its body violently to shake off the bladed menace on its back, but Kabutops merely stabbed its blades into the large turtle's back and stayed on. Paul was becoming frustrated at losing two Pokemon in a row and decided to annihilate Kabutops.

"Now use earthquake!" roared Paul.

Torterra blindly followed Paul and stomped its foot forcefully on the ground causing the ground to shake. Kabutops felt the hook it had on Torterra's back weaken as the tremors from the ground rippled through the large turtle's body and through the body of the armoured Pokemon. Eventually the shaking loosened the grip and Kabutops flew off the back of its opponent and went flying into a tree and fell onto its face. Paul decided now was the time to take advantage.

"Fire another barrage of leaves" Paul shouted.

Torterra happily obliged and took its chance to pelt its enemy with thousands of sharp leaves. The wave of leaves did not just pelt the rock Pokemon that was lying on the floor, but also the tree behind it. Eventually the leaves tore through the tree trunk causing it crack and crush the Pokemon under it. Luriama felt a searing pain in his body as he lost his second Pokemon. The man returned his crushed Pokemon back to its ball and sent out his next Pokemon.

* * *

"Go for the wings with thunder fang Manetric" Realen ordered.

"Take flight Charizard" Ash countered.

The Charizard flapped its wings strongly and flew over the head of Manetric just in time to avoid its attack. Manetric had dived with its fangs bared at its enemies wings, but had managed to keep steady and regain composure. Realen glared at Ash's cowardice. 'That's why he could never get a real woman like me. He could only get that fat girl' thought Realen bitterly.

"Now Manetric use thunder wave" Realen ordered.

The electric Pokemon released a yellow wave from its body that moved through the battle ground. The wave hit the flying Pokemon and knocked it out of the sky. Charizard felt an odd sensation as it muscles tensed up and stopped working. The flying dragon Pokemon's body halted in mid-air and fell. Ash could only watch as his Pokemon crashed into the ground like a plane. Realen smiled at the moment she now had to get maximum pleasure.

"Now Manetric use thunder fang on its wings. One by one" Realen said smirking.

Manetric walked over to the paralysed fire Pokemon and latched its fang onto its prey's wings. Charizard let out a scream of pain that went higher when Manetric released a current from its mouth into its fangs. The jolts coursed through the wing of the dragon Pokemon making it roar in pain. Manetric released the wing and made another bite into the other wing of Charizard who let out another cry of pain. Realen smiled happily at the pain coming from Ash's Pokemon.

She turned her head to look at the look of distress on Ash's face and smiled happily to herself. Eventually the pain was too much for Charizard and it fainted. Ash looked hopelessly at his Pokemon and returned it. Ash had already lost his trump card and now all he had left was three Pokemon. Ash heard a sound and saw that Realen had returned her Manetric and was now waiting for him to send out his next Pokemon. Ash sighed and gave into her trap.

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Right I'm really sorry about this being late. I figure I'm now about 2-3 chapters behind now. So since I'm at my dad's for the whole week I should be able to do more writing and get this fan fic done:D.


	20. The loss of self

**Right here is the next one and thank you to Flurry of Freezing Flames for your review:D. Please enjoy the fan fic.**

* * *

The ball burst open with life as Luriama's Pokemon shot out. Paul saw and immediately recognised the Pokemon as Sceptile. He noticed that unlike Ash's Sceptile this one had sharper blades on its forearms and the leaves on its body were sharper. The two grass Pokemon stared each other down. One favouring pure strength, the other favouring speed.

"Torterra leaf storm" Paul ordered.

"Sceptile use leaf storm" Luriama ordered.

The two Pokemon fired a hail of leaves at the other. Each leaf fired collided with its opposite leaf and tore each other apart. The strength of the Pokemon both cancelled each other out, matching leaf for leaf. Sceptile and Torterra stopped firing when they realised it was futile to go on. Paul and Luriama eyed each others opponent's Pokemon, trying to discover a weakness.

"Synthesis Torterra" Paul said, trying to buy time.

"Counter with X-scissor Sceptile" Luriama shouted.

Torterra reared its head and raised its back to the sun. Thankfully for Paul and his Pokemon they were outside so the sun would be with them. Sadly they were in the forest so Torterra had to compete with the trees desperate for sunlight. The large turtle Pokemon managed to absorb some sunlight from the plants on its back and converted the light into energy to fix its broken tree trunks. Before those trees could be mended Sceptile leapt onto the large grass Pokemon's back and sliced the remaining plants on its back.

The large Pokemon let out a loud cry of pain and slumped to the ground. Paul felt a searing pain in his chest. He reactively clutched his heart and fell to his knees. Paul wheezed and grabbed his Pokeball. 'Why does this hurt so much? Is it because my Pokemon are stronger that they take more aura or is it because I'm weak' thought Paul. He shook those thoughts and he recalled his Pokemon and sent out his Honcrow.

* * *

"Go Snorlax" called Ash.

He threw out his Pokeball that cracked open widely to reveal a large and impressive looking Pokemon called Snorlax. Snorlax waved lazily at its owner and then fell onto its back to rest for a bit. Ash sighed and looked over to his blond opponent. She smiled wickedly at him. Needless to say it made Ash feel uncomfortable. The girl slowly reached down and picked her Pokeball. She hurled it out and the ball burst open. It revealed the same Pichu who had knocked out Ash's Pikachu. The little Pichu's eyes were staring at the lazy Pokemon menacingly.

"Thunder wave Pichu" Realen ordered.

The little electric mouse released a wave of electricity that hit the lazy Pokemon. Snorlax let out a groan of annoyance as the wave coursed through his body and paralysed his muscles. Pichu let out a soft giggle at the sight of Snorlax trying to move off its back.

"Snorlax try and use giga impact" Ash shouted.

Snorlax rolled slowly and tried to rock its body so it could get to its feet. Alas for Snorlax without the use of its arms it could not make it to its feet. Snorlax feebly kept on trying to move its body constantly. It never gave up until it felt a twinge of life in its left arm it then skilfully used all the strength it had in its left arm and shoved off from the ground into mid air. The docile Pokemon had managed to land on its belly.

Snorlax then moved its body with its left arm and span at a tremendous speed to the impish Pichu and collided with the Pokemon. Snorlax kept going until it hit a tree. Ash looked where the Pichu had been and saw it had been 'flattened'. Ash heard a high pitch scream from his opponent and looked up to see the girl in great pain whilst she was clutching her side. The girl was close to passing out from the way she was swaying her body weakly from side to side.

* * *

"Honcrow use haze to shroud yourself" Paul ordered.

Honcrow nodded and released an odd haze that covered the battlefield shrouding everyone from each other. The only who could still see what was going on was Honcrow. Paul smiled to himself 'If I can't see anything, then they can't either' thought Paul. Sceptile and Luriama were trying to peer through the shroud to see each other, their opponents or anything really.

"Now use sky attack" Paul shouted confidently.

Honcrow cawed in response and readied itself to collide its body with Sceptile. The large crow Pokemon's body glowed a bright red as it prepared its attack. Sceptile looked nervously through the haze as it tried to find its enemy Luriama was looking around too trying to find any source of Honcrow. Then Luriama had an idea.

"Honcrow use leaf storm to tear through the haze" Luriama ordered.

Sceptile span around on the spot and started firing a hail of sharp leaves all around it. The leaves tore through the haze revealing thin patches of light. The pink haired man stared, waiting till he caught glimpse of the dark Pokemon. Eventually one leaf tore a hole just to the right of Sceptile. Luriama noted this and ordered his Sceptile to focus its fire in that area. Sceptile fired its flurry of blades at the flying Pokemon, but it was all too late. The blazing Pokemon shot through the leaves and knocked Sceptile crashing through the ground. Luriama felt a fierce pain as he held back his screams of pain to not show weakness.

* * *

"Go Luxray!" Realen shouted.

The ball cracked open to reveal a vicious looking Luxray. The black and blue Pokemon narrowed its eyes at the lazy Pokemon before it. Snorlax was trying to stand up, but due to its paralysis it couldn't move. Snorlax however either by an act of genius or just plain sloth closed its eyes and rested. The large Pokemon slept peacefully whilst its opponents plotted their plans. A wicked grin formed on Realen's face and she ordered her first attack from Luxray.

"Charge then use spark Luxray" Realen ordered.

"Snorlax use snore" Ash shouted.

The electric Pokemon's body began to sparkle with voltage as it charged its body. Luxray, from the sheer amount of electricity in its body, began to glow with a strong yellow. Luxray charged at the overweight Pokemon to ram its electrified body. However the sound that Snorlax released knocked Luxray away. Luxray landed on its feet and tried its luck again. This time it hit its target and released all the stored electricity into Snorlax's body. Snorlax let out a groan in his sleep from the attack.

"Now use discharge" Realen said smiling.

"Snorlax use sleep talk" Ash said desperately.

Luxray started to charge a crackle of electricity in its body. Snorlax countered by using sleep talk. Sadly for Ash this just caused Snorlax to fall into a deeper sleep. Luxray after building enough static energy then released it in a powerful wave that ran through the area, preventing any chance of escape. The discharge hit Snorlax hitting its nervous system. The jolt affected the lazy Pokemon's body and it reacted by hibernating it, to keep it free from pain. Ash just watched on as he saw that his Pokemon had gone into a deep sleep. As he reached for the Pokeball he dropped it from a searing pain in his chest.

* * *

"Go Kricketune" Luriama managed to say.

The large bug Pokemon popped out of the ball and surveyed its area. The Pokemon noticed the strong haze around it and looked hesitantly for its foe. Kricketune began to subconsciously start waving its arms like metronomes. Luriama thought to himself for a way to break through this trick that Paul had placed around him. Luriama only knew of one move that could help him out.

"Kricketune try to find Honcrow with bug buzz" Luriama sugggested.

Kricketune released an odd sound from its sensors that covered the area. Kricketune sensed a presence in front of it and pointed at it. Luriama smiled as he and Kricketune knew where Honcrow was, but their enemies did not know they knew that. Luriama beckoned his Pokemon over and whispered his order so Paul would not hear it.

"Kricketune use slash on its wings then bring it back where we can see it and use slash constantly" Luriama whispered.

The bug Pokemon looked into the haze where he had seen Paul's Pokemon and jumped through the haze. Luriama waited nervously as he hoped that Honcrow that it had not moved. 'Wait how likely is it that a flying Pokemon stood in the same place' thought Luriama. As Luriama began to doubt his plans he was proven wrong. Before him was the sight of Honcrow being sent through the air and into the ground. Kricketune leapt out of the haze and repeatedly whipped the injured Pokmeon.

The bug Pokemon attacked in a metronome fashion, building damage with the first swing then moving its body to bring down the next attack. Paul had snookered himself as the haze prevented him from seeing the battle. The only hint Paul had was the constant stinging sound he felt. When Honcrow passed out, the haze faded away and Paul felt a burning pain where his vital organs where. He fell to his knees and prayed that the pain would leave him.

* * *

"Sceptile use agility" Ash shouted.

"Luxray scary face" Realen countered.

The grass Pokemon ran past Luxray and then shot past it again to confuse it. At one of its passings Luxray caught a glimpse of its face and gave it look that made it stop dead in its tracks. For a while the two Pokemon remained still as Luxray's gaze froze the grass Pokemon still. Realen knew she the advantage of being able to announce an attack first.

"Luxray use spark" Realen said.

"Sceptile use agility" Ash responded.

Luxray's body glowed with a yellow hue. As its body sparkled it then leapt off the ground to charge its body into its enemy. Sceptile responded by darting past Luxray and ran around the area to avoid the charged Pokemon. Once again another stalemate had occurred when neither Pokemon could land a hit. Realen and Ash was becoming frustrated at this. Realen was annoyed at Ash's cowardice and Ash was annoyed at the lack of chances to land a hit.

"Try dodging this. Luxray use discharge" Realen.

When Ash heard that he knew he had to attack as discharge was unavoidable. 'Looks like now is the time to strike. It's now or never' thought Ash fatalistically to himself.

"Sceptile use leaf blade quickly" Ash shouted.

Luxray charged its body once again and started to release slight crackles of electricity from its body as it was charging up. Sceptile turned around and raced towards the fierce electric Pokemon. As it closed the gap the grass Pokemon raised its blade to lower it on the head of Luxray. Just as the blade was lowering Luxray released its wave of electricity that waved through Sceptile's body weakening its body.

The discharge was not enough to stop Sceptile and it slammed the blade onto Luxray's head. The electric Pokemon slumped to the ground without a sound. Ash heard a loud high pitch scream from the girl in front of him. He saw know that the pain was excruciating. Just from the sight of the woman made Ash terrified.

* * *

Paul after heavy coughing grabbed his Pokeball from its clip and recalled his fainted Honcrow. He then reached for the next Pokemon to use. Paul weakly threw the ball out. In mid-air the ball burst open to reveal a giant Electvire. The large Pokemon had long wires coming out its body that pulsed with electricity. The tall Pokemon was grinning maniacally at its new enemies.

"Electvire use thunder punch" Paul ordered.

"Dodge and use slash" Luriama countered.

Electvire took one large step forward and lowered its fist down onto the ground and cracked the earth. Kricketune had managed to sidestep the fist and force the hit to strike the earth instead, however something unexpected happened. The lightning being released from the fist of Electvire travelled along the ground and flowed into the body of the bug Pokemon.

Kircketune let out a loud screech of pain that almost shattered Luriama's and Paul's ear drums. Electvire was amazingly focused and hardly reacted to the screech. It was rather standing still with its fist on the ground waiting for the next command with a smile on its face. After recovering from the sound Paul ordered his next attack.

"Electvire use another thunder punch" Paul shouted.

Electvire then lifted its arm and moved it to one side to counter act its stable balance and shifted its weight to one side and swung its arm, being powered with the extra force of its weight. The fist of Electvire flew into the body of Kricketune with a resounding force. The cricket Pokemon was punched downwards by the fist and crashed deep into the ground. The Bug Pokemon sank deep as the ground cracked under the pressure of Electvire's strength. Electvire's fist was crackling with voltage after striking its foe. Luriama felt an unbearable pain in his body. He fell to his hands and knees and bit his lip to prevent him from screaming in pain.

* * *

Realen's cries of pain shortened and stopped. Ash looked over to the doubled over girl who started to emit a high pitch giggling sound. The girl slowly stood straight and smiled menacingly at Ash. Ash felt his body run cold as the girl reached for her final Pokemon. Ash thought and slowly realised what her final Pokemon could be. The girl slowly reached for her last Pokemon and sent it out. The ball cracked open with a crackle of electricity. As the Pokemon slowly took a few steps towards Ash he felt his heart stop. Before him was Raikou.

The Pokemon was practically a lightning cloud releasing its static electricity. Before Ash could react Realen snapped her fingers and a fearsome jolt of electricity shot out of Raikou's body. The bolt shot at Sceptile before it could even blink and sent it into a tree. And just like that Sceptile was out. Without even needing a command, he lost a Pokemon that should be able to with stand electric moves. Ash dreaded having to use his next Pokemon.

* * *

"Drapion kill him" Luriama shouted.

Drapion emerged from its ball to let out a high pitch scream at its opponents. Paul had started to notice a link in all of Luriama's Pokemon and that was that they all had been breeded to have the sharpest blades possible. Paul noticed that the tips of Drapion's blades were oozing with poison. Paul knew he had to act fast before his Pokemon was poisoned.

"Electvire use thunder punch" Paul ordered.

"Counter with poison sting Drapion" Luriama commanded.

Electvire charged its fist quickly and swung it at the scorpion Pokemon. Drapion countered by swinging on of its protruding stingers and forced it at the fist of the electric Pokemon. What happened next made Paul feel sick. The stinger of the poison Pokemon flew into the middle of the fist of Electvire and pieced its fist. The stinger was all the way inside the electric Pokemon's hand. Paul looked on in horror as the hand of Electvire changed to a purplish colour from the poison.

The large Pokemon countered by releasing a large current of electricity into the body of Drapion through the connection of the stinger. The poison Pokemon let out a loud scream of pain as it tried to remove its stinger to escape the pain. Eventually the purple Pokemon freed itself from the pain. Paul's Pokemon was far from fine and it was stumbling around losing its balance and concentration from the poison. Luriama was smiling at his luck.

"Now finish it with cross poison" Luriama ordered.

Drapion lined its stingers in an X fashion shape and sliced the chest of Electvire with them. The large electric Pokemon cried in pain from the double dosage of poison flowing in its blood stream. The force knocked the balance of the large Pokemon off and sent it onto its back. Electrivire cried in pain from the poison as it sapped away its energy until there was nothing left. Paul felt his stomach rise until it pushed out everything he had eaten prior to the battle. Luriama had the good fortune to see his opponent on all floor vomiting in pain. 'This is something Realen would have enjoyed more' Luriama thought.

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Right sorry for this taking so long, but for some reason battles with Realen take me a while. So far I'm one chapter behind which I hope to have done before Friday. Don't know why, but please rate and review. Thank you.


	21. Love and life

**Right here is your next instalment. Please enjoy.**

* * *

The trio had not found anything of interest. All they had done was gone in a circle and they were getting sick of it. Dawn requested to have a break and she sat on a raised root. Dawn felt her position on the seat move as the ground shook. Brock, May and Dawn all the felt the ground shake slightly. The group exchanged looks at each other for the cause of the tremor.

"What was that?" May asked.

"How should I know? I've just fallen off my seat because of that." Dawn muttered rubbing her sore body.

"Feels like an earthquake and quite a far one at that. I wouldn't be surprised if Ash and Paul have been ambushed." Brock stated.

The girls looked at Brock and realised that Ash and Paul would be in trouble. Dawn starting thinking more about the earthquake 'I wonder could that be Ash's Donphan or Paul's Torterra' thought Dawn. Brock was facing the direction he believed the sound had come from. They were going to have to go back where they had started and take the left at the fork making the entire distance they had made a waste of time. 'Great all those miles walked and for nothing. And to make it up we have to run all the way there' thought May.

As they ran through the forest they began to recognise where they were. They turned left at the fork and raced over to Paul and Ash, hoping that they would be ok. The deeper they went into the forest the worse it got. The branches of the trees starting whipping them as they ran through them, as if trying to halt them. Brock ran in front of the two girls with his arms out to take most of the hits. 'It makes sense if I do this. I'm stronger so it'll hurt less for me than them. Plus I won't get upset if my appearance gets ruined' Brock thought. The thought wasn't so much directed at May who was bracing her self for every branch that swung at her, rather at the squealing blue haired girl behind them.

Dawn was running with her hands covering her hat so it wouldn't fall off. She had her eyes closed tightly so she wouldn't have anything go in her eyes. Brock raced through the branches, waving his fists to break them before they hit the people behind him. Eventually they came to a clearing where they could hear what sounded like a fight. Brock looked behind him to see May come out of the bushes, covered in bits of tree. The girl shook her self from the foliage. Brock looked worriedly and asked May an important question.

"May where's Dawn?"

* * *

Dawn after running for a while felt the branches leave her body. Just as she was about to open her eyes a bush came into contact with her and she let out a loud scream. Ash Dawn ran deeper in the bushes she finally felt the bushes stop and she was in a clearing the nervous girl slowly open her eyes and look horrified at her clothes. As she started to brush herself clean she could hear a cry of pain. The nervous little girl took a few steps toward a tree in front of her and peered over it.

* * *

"Raikou return. Now Manetric let's have some fun" Realen said smirking.

The blond haired girl had returned her legendary Pokemon and called out her other Pokemon that Ash had forgotten about. 'She's toying with me. She wants me to have to beat her next Pokemon only to lose to Raikou. If I lose I die, if I win and face Raikou I die. It's all over' thought Ash pathetically. Ash recalled his Sceptile and regretfully sent out Kingler. The crab Pokemon clicked its claws to show its readiness in battle. Ash had felt ready to pick up the pen and sign his death warrant.

"Manetric use thunder wave" Realen ordered.

"Kingler use slam" Ash countered.

The large crab Pokemon sprinted at its foe with the use of its many legs to keep balanced. The brave electric Pokemon released a yellow wave from its body that spread across the area and engulfed the crab Pokemon. As Kingler was charging at its Pokemon, however it then lost the co-ordination in its legs from the paralysis. The body of Kingler fell to the ground, yet the momentum kept it going and it collided with the electric Pokemon. The large water Pokemon crushed Manetric to a near tree. The agile Pokemon managed to squeeze out of the gap and stood in front of its mistress.

"Now use discharge" Realen said smiling deviously.

"Please Kingler use hyper beam" Ash said begging.

Manetric body sparkled with current as it released a wave of electricity that covered the area preventing escape. The current flowed into the body of Kingler weakening the paralysed Pokemon. Ash could feel his body weaken to the point where he couldn't see anything properly. Bright lights were flashing every time he tried to focus on anything. Ash had to sit down from his loss of self. Kingler could sense Ash's pain and from the aura Ash's was giving him Kingler found strength to break from its paralysis to attack.

Kingler to everyone's surprise raised its claw and hit the off guard target. The beam engulfed the target until all that could be seen of it was the great beam of light covering it. When the beam faded the electric enemy was lain on the floor unconscious and the user of the beam had to rest. Realen felt a serious pain in her body and she fell to her hands and knees. The girl was panting heavily until she raised her head and smiled seductively at Ash.

"More pain means more pleasure" the girl said trailing a tongue around her lips.

* * *

"Now Weavile its time to prove yourself" Paul commanded.

The ball opened to reveal a fierce looking Weavile. The Pokemon was as dark as the night sky with claws as sharp as a scimitar. The dark Pokemon looked discourteously at Drapion's stingers. The arrogant Pokemon was ready to prove itself ready for battle against Luriama.

"Weavile use night slash" Paul ordered.

"Counter it with bug bite" Luriama said.

The large scorpion Pokemon lunged its fangs at the dark Pokemon who merely side-stepped the attack. It then took advantage of the poison Pokemon's position and darted around the back of it. Weavile then jumped onto the back of its foe and struck with its claws onto the neck of Drapion. The attack was a critical hit and made the poison Pokemon scream in pain.

"Now use fury swipes" Paul shouted.

"Stop it with pin missile" Luriama said.

The large purple Pokemon opened its mouth and fired a barrage of needles at the speedy Pokemon. Weavile ran past the scorpion Pokemon, but not before scraping its claws on its foe whist running past. The dark Pokemon then turned around and repeated the attack. After the third repeat Drapion had learnt and fired the pins at the area in front of it and managed to strike the enemy, however although hurting Weavile it did not stop it and it carried on through to strike for the fifth and final time.

The hit sent the poison over the edge and sent it unconscious. Paul smiled when he had knocked out Luriama's second to last Pokemon. The pink haired man had fallen to his knees and clutched his stomach tightly as if there was a way to escape the pain. Paul's moment of pride was short lived when he saw his Weavile who was injured from the pins.

* * *

"Now Raikou let's finish this" Realen said as she threw out the ball.

The ball broke open to reveal the same Pokemon who had knocked out Sceptile and was now ready to deliver the same fate to the paralysed Kingler. Ash's Pokemon was resting against the tree it had crashed against. Kingler was a sitting duck, because of the paralysis that prevented it from moving. Raikou was preparing itself by releasing crackles of electricity all over its body.

"Kingler please use crabhammer" Ash begged.

Kingler tried to move its claw but it could not. The paralysis had gotten worse and Kingler could not move a muscle. It tried its hardest out of love of its owner, yet the control of its affliction prevented it from showing its love to Ash. Ash was on his knees close to tears that he may die from his final battle. 'No I'm not going to die; I'm going to fade away. Some how I'd rather die' thought Ash to himself.

"Now use spark" Realen ordered.

Raikou's body brimmed with jolts as flowed currents of electricity until it glowed like a firefly. Raikou's body threw itself at the static crab Pokemon. As the legendary Pokemon got closer and closer, Ash could feel himself go odd. It was an experience he could not explain.

* * *

"Now Gallade show your strength. Use your intuition" Luriama ordered.

Gallade left its capsule and showed itself to its enemy. The psychic Pokemon scanned every inch of the dark Pokemon before it. The graceful Pokemon believed that despite the type disadvantage it could still defeat Weavile. The bladed Pokemon trailed its forearms together to sharpen its blades. As the ice Pokemon braced itself for an attack an odd thing happened. Before Paul and his Pokemon's eyes Gallade disappeared. The two of the four inhabitants of the battlefield looked nervously around for their enemy.

The dark Pokemon heard an odd sound and looked behind it to see Luriama's Pokemon charging a peculiar purple energy on its blades. Weavile did not care about the attack as psychic move would have no effect, or so it thought. Gallade swung its blades that shot one large purple crescent of energy. The beam tore at the mid-section of the dark Pokemon. It didn't feel any pain, but the sheer force of the attack knocked it back into a tree. Paul was shocked at the amount of power.

"Weavile quick use night slash" Paul shouted nervously.

Weavile recovered from its hit to the tree and leapt quickly over to its foe. The sharp claws glowed darkly as they were swung at…nothing. Weavile fell to the ground as it had missed its target or in other words the target had moved. Once again without any commands Gallade had acting on its own behalf and teleported to safety. This time the psychic Pokemon starting performing a ritual of swords that raised its attack.

"Try using ice beam on the floor" Paul suggested.

Weavile blindly followed and sprayed pure ice on the ground freezing it. The dark Pokemon immediately found a problem in Paul's plan as despite being part ice; it had trouble finding its footing on the ice. Gallade had found a solution to this problem and instead teleported itself in front of its enemy. Before Paul could even react his Pokemon had to face the full force a close combat attack. Blow after blow was delivered to the rag doll as it had the stuffing knocked out of it. As Gallade was about to deliver the killing strike, someone or something must have been looking down on them as the psychic Pokemon slipped on the ice and missed the killing blow. Paul could feel his heart beat rapidly as his Pokemon laid on the ground, barely holding its head up.

"No it can't end like this" Paul muttered.

* * *

Ash could feel tears fall from his eyes as he thought about his promise to save Misty. 'I'm so sorry Misty. Please forgive me' Ash spoke mentally. As his final tear fell he felt a surge of power. The blue aura engulfed him like a raging fire. Ash stared with surprise as he looked over to Kingler had become overwhelmed. Its eyes were glowing an aquatic blue and its body was brimming with energy. It stood up and swung its claw at charging electric bolt. As the two collided a marvellous thing happened. The claw of Kingler froze and saved it from taking any electric damage. Then its body began coated in ice as the water in its body grew stronger till the aura morphed it into pure ice.

Raikou recoiled from the hit and fell into a tree. Kingler then pointed its claw at the injured legendary Pokemon and fired a full power bolt of light. The attack wiped out any strength that Raikou might have had. Realen stared horrified as she knew what would happen to her. She let out a scream of pain and kept muttering that she was not going. However she was as she faded away before Ash's eyes. Ash let out a sigh and slumped to the ground as he did not have enough energy to stay up. Ash's love for Misty saved him, but what love did Paul have?

* * *

"No this can't be" Paul muttered constantly to himself.

Luriama was smiling at his victory as he snapped his fingers to get his Pokemon to finish off the job. Paul just kept refusing to see the light. He shut his eyes and refused to die. It was then that his will power that had granted his use of aura powered him again. Before anyone could blink Weavile was flowing with the aura of Paul. It opened its mouth and released all the power given to it in the form of an ice beam. However this was more of a hyper ice beam as it pieced the Gallade who did not have time to teleport. The attack froze the Pokemon and the area around it.

When the dark Pokemon had released the aura it lied on the ground panting. The psychic Pokemon had been frozen to the core and its feet where frozen to the ground. Paul looked in disbelief as he saw Luriama fade before his eyes, but not before letting out his last cry of pain. Paul looked at his hands and saw he was still there. 'My willpower saved me' Paul thought. Though Paul did not have the love to power his aura, he had the will power and refusal to die that broke his limits.

This battle did not happen unwatched. A certain nervous blue haired girl had been watching the battle since the last two Pokemon were pitted against each other. Dawn was terrfied to the bone at Paul's strength and lack of emotion to killing another. As she took a step back her foot knocked a few leaves back making a soft rustling sound. She looked down at the source of the sound and cursed. She then looked up to see the face of Paul.

"What are you doing here?" Paul asked.

"Er I was with the other guys cause we heard a tremor so we ran back to check up on you guys, but I got separated and came to this area and saw you on the floor. Say erm where you in a fight?" Dawn said quickly.

Paul stared at the girl before muttering "No".

Paul walked over to the Pokeballs left by the man he had battled and he collected them and returned the Gallade. He then looked over to Dawn who was standing hesitantly. He slowly took a few steps towards her until she was backed into a tree. He leaned forward and stared deeply into her eyes, scanning for any sense of a lie. 'Please don't kill me' Dawn begged mentally. Paul leaned back, and walked through the bushes. Dawn looked where Paul had gone. She waited a few minutes before following.

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After this chapter I'm now finally back on the right number of chapters done. Right I remember last time I did a battle with Realen it took a while to do, so hopefully the other chapters shouldn't take as long. The next instalment should hopefully be with you on Saturday. Please rate and review.


	22. The truth comes out

**Almost on time, sadly I'm off by about 2 hours and 35 minutes by my time (Greenwich mean time:D). Anyway please enjoy.**

* * *

Ash walked over to the area where his opponent once stood. Ash still hadn't gotten used to the empty feeling you get from standing where someone should be. Ash bent down and picked up the Pokeballs. Whilst he was down there he noticed a card with a map printed on it. As Ash picked up the card he took out his other one and compared them. He noticed that the real location of the base. He then recalled Raikou back to its Pokeball and apologised softly to it. Ash felt a presence behind him and turned to see May and Brock staring at him. Ash stood up and smiled at his friends.

"Hey guys when did you get here?" Ash asked.

"We got here about the same time you were on your knees." Brock said.

"Yeah and what was with that burst of energy that tipped the fight in your favour" May inquired.

"I don't know I just thought about my friends and I guess my love for them strengthened my aura" Ash said smiling.

May was smiling at the idea that she was one of the many people who had given him the strength to go on. Brock however had other ideas about who was giving him the strength to go on. Just as the group was catching up they heard the sound of rustling bushes. The trio turned around to see an apathetic Paul leave the bushes. He walked up to Ash and handed the Pokeballs of their fallen master. Ash was a bit confused why he was given the Pokemon, but he was going to find them a home. Ash the trio heard another rustling sound which came from a nervous blue haired girl.

She looked at Paul and walked quickly over to her friend May to not have to face his glare. Thankfully for Paul no one made any sly comments about Dawn's behaviour and start insinuating false ideas about him and her. 'So he managed to kill that blond woman. Big deal she was only a girl' Paul thought with a disrespectful tone. Ash had a more respectful tone to his companion's battling skills 'Wow Paul must have done well to beat his opponent. He didn't look like a push over at all' Ash thought.

* * *

The group after many turnings made their way out of the forest. As they stepped out into the open they took in the sight of the open area. Ash relished the clear area as it made a refreshing change from the towering trees that imposed themselves on the group. Ash remembered the map he had found and handed it along with the false map over to Brock. Brock took the cards and compared them together. Brock noticed that the two locations where near it each and when a suggestion popped into his head about the location of the base he knew that it must be the right place.

"Unsurprisingly Team Rocket's main base is Viridian Gym." Brock concluded.

"Wait I thought Agatha of the elite four took it over." Ash questioned.

"Yeah and isn't it a little small to house Team Rocket's army?" May asked.

"And surely someone in Viridian City would have reported it and we'd know about it" Dawn queried.

"Hey don't shoot the messenger. This is just what I found out." Brock said defensively.

"Oh sorry Brock" said Ash awkwardly "It's just that we don't want this to be another trap."

Brock smiled and nodded in understanding. Despite having not been in Kanto for a few years Ash still knew his way from Viridian forest to Viridian city.

* * *

The group made their way to the city of Viridian where they saw a bustling Pokecentre and a busy Pokemart. It was consider the best idea that they go ahead and heal their Pokemon. As Ash made his way into the Pokecentre he saw many trainers who were holding onto their injured Pokemon. Ash had never seen so many injured Pokemon and the sight surprised him. Ash waited a few minutes before getting to talk to Nurse Joy, though not before Brock had his moment that ended the same way, with Dawn pulling off the confused Nurse.

"Hello Nurse Joy. Would you mind healing our Pokemon?" Ash asked.

The red head smiled warmly and replied with "Of course I don't mind. You don't need to ask me Ash."

"You remember me?" Ash said slightly surprised.

"Of course you were the boy who wrecked Misty's bike. I could never forget you two" Nurse Joy said smiling.

Ash could feel his cheeks heat up and replied with "Oh yeah erm thanks for giving Misty her bike back after the previous Nurse Joy fixed it".

Nurse Joy smiled at him and took his Pokemon along with Paul's. The group sat on one of the few vacant benches for the Pokemon to be healed. Ash turned his head to ask a question to Paul. No surprise to the group, but Paul was standing rather than sitting down with the usual fixed glare on his face.

"Say Paul how did your fight go with the pink haired man?" Ash asked curiously.

"Fine" Paul said curtly.

"Oh. Anything interesting happen?" Ash asked to keep the conversation going.

"No" Paul said as he killed the conversation.

The group sat in an uncomfortable silence in wait for the Pokemon. Eventually the sound of footsteps were heard and Ash was greeted by the bubbly Nurse Joy. She happily handed the Pokeballs over to Ash to which he put back on his belt. Ash smiled when he felt the warm soft yellow fur of his little Pikachu. The little electric mouse had leapt off Nurse Joy's arms and into his arms. The little mouse Pokemon gave Ash a happy hug with its little paws. May and Dawn let out an 'ahh' sound at the sweet reunion. Paul just ignored the sickening display of affection and took his Pokeballs off Nurse Joy. Paul turned around and walked to the exit. The others took it as their cue to leave as well.

* * *

The group made their out of the Pokecentre and were faced with the large Gym. Ash walked with his companion to the entrance. As he reached for the door handle the door was suddenly swung open by a crying female trained she was holding her fainted Pokemon. The girl ran so fast that she knocked down the boy in front of her without noticing. 'Guess this must be why Pokemon are being injured so much. Because of this gym' thought Ash. As he was about to step inside he was halted by a familiar.

"You made it I see. I've just discovered myself that this is Team Rocket's base." The man said in his deep voice.

"Oh cut it out. We know you're with Team Rocket, unless you 'accidentally' sent us to a place that also 'accidentally' turned out to be an ambush" said May damningly.

The man stood calm and still like a tree. After a few moments had passed the man then reached for the buttons on his long coat, he slowly unbuttoned each one until his coat was undone. He then took off his coat revealing a Team Rocket symbol. They noticed that he did not seem to wear the same clothing as grunts, his allowed more movement in the field.

"My name is Nick and I am the head of Team Rocket's Special Forces. Made in order to deal with problems like you" the man said calmly.

He then snapped his fingers and the Eevee that he carried with him jumped out to attack. It wasn't until now that the group noticed how bright and sparkling the Pokemon was. 'Is the Eevee one of the rare shiny species of Pokemon' thought Brock to himself. Pikachu leapt off Ash's shoulder gallantly ready to prove itself after its poor previous attempt against Pichu.

"Pikachu use thunderbolt." Ash said.

"Eevee use shadow ball" Nick spoke.

Pikachu's body sparkled with electricity that it then released in a long bolt at the shiny Pokemon. Eevee opened its mouth wide and released a large ball of dark energy, larger than that of May's Eevee. The ball shot out the Pokemon's mouth and collided with the electric current being released from Ash's Pokemon. The result was the cracking of the shadow ball. As it broke, the dark ball that acted like a vacuum, released a large jet of wind that spread out around the area knocking down the combatants. Ash stumbled to his feet along with Pikachu. Nick had held his balance and so had his Pokemon.

"Pikachu use volt tackle" Ash ordered.

"Counter with quick attack" Nick retorted.

As Pikachu had started its run and was about to release the voltage around its body converting itself to an electric missile, but Eevee used the speed of quick attack to its fullest and interrupted the attack. Pikachu was hit back and rolled back along the ground. Eevee shot back to where its master was and stood ready for the next command. Ash noticed how the calm and controlled man had his Pokemon fully regimented to allow it to reach its fullest potential.

"Now finish this with bite" Nick ordered.

"Pikachu use iron tail" Ash shouted.

Pikachu charged energy into its tail as it leapt at its foe. Eevee was faster than its enemy and had cleared the gap to a few inches. The Pokemon bared its teeth and went in for the kill…yet Pikachu was fine. The little mouse Pokemon had swung its tail in time to collide it with the teeth of its opponent. The sharp teeth gripped on the steel tail, barely hurting Pikachu. The electric mouse then taking advantage of Eevee's predicament and used all the momentum in its body to violently throw its tail to one side, which caused the attacker to come free and crash into the ground.

As the dust settled, Nick's Pokemon climbed out the hole that it had just caused only to be greeted with the metallic tail of a certain yellow Pokemon. The force was strong enough to send Eevee into to a state of unconsciousness. Nick stood stoically at his Pokemon being knocked out. The man then returned his Pokemon and reached for his next Pokemon. He threw the ball out and it broke open revealing a big Raichu. Ash smiled when he saw the match up. He remembered how he had defeated L.T. Surge's Raichu by using speed against it and now would be a repeat of that battle.

"Pikachu use volt tackle" Ash shouted.

"Counter with thunder" Nick commanded.

Pikachu ran at its evolved form until it burst into a yellow living lightning bolt. All Raichu could do was release its power to counter act the power from Pikachu. The yellow torpedo leapt at its foe and span like a drill as it hit the thunder. It kept drilling through the centre of the electric current until it was boring its way to the enemy. The thunder eventually absorbed all the electricity from its creator, but it could not stop the creator as it collided its body with that of its supposed 'greater form'. Raichu took the full hit in the stomach and held back the pain to not show its weakness like a true soldier. To mock the enemy it used the old technique at laughing at the attack.

"Oh I'd like to see you stop this. Pikachu use iron tail" Ash said strongly.

Pikachu charged up its tail to a bright white colour. It then leapt at its enemy to attack it. However something peculiar happened that changed that for the little mouse Pokemon.

"Now's the time, attack with surf" Nick ordered.

In an instant Raichu had risen above Pikachu on a great blue wave. The little yellow mouse's jumped only reached it three quarters of the height of the wave. There was no time left and the electric Pokemon collided with the hulking wave. Pikachu had gone from above Raichu to inside the wave in a matter of seconds. The little yellow Pokemon was trapped in the wave and could not find a way out. It desperately tried to claw its way out with its little yellow paws, yet that proved ineffective. The surfer rode the wave into the wall of the gym and crashed it to damage its foe. As Ash's Pokemon laid on the floor weak from the collision, Nick ordered the final shot.

"Thunder" Nick ordered.

Raichu nodded and released all the voltage it had inside of it onto the drenched target. The thunder easily hit its target and shocked it to an inch of its life. Ash could only look on as his Pikachu was tortured by the electric current. When Nick had decreed it as enough to end the battle he stopped his Pokemon which could have kept going on. Ash walked over to Pikachu and picked up his fainted pet. Ash rested its body on his shoulder and softly stroked its back. Ash placed Pikachu into his bag to let it rest. Ash reached for his Pokeball and sent out his next Pokemon. The ball opened to reveal a nimble Sceptile. Ash thought if he just used type advantages he wouldn't advance as a trainer.

"Sceptile use agility" Ash said.

"Raichu nasty plot" Nick ordered.

Raichu's face twisted to an ominous facial expression as it planned on Sceptile's downfall. Sceptile was busy darting around its enemy to raise its speed. Every second that Sceptile left Raichu alone it got stronger. Every second that Raichu left Secptile alone it got faster. 'This is great now he won't be able to hit my Pokemon with this much speed.' Ash thought to himself.

"Now use rain dance" Nick ordered.

Before Ash knew it he felt water pattering head. He looked up and felt a rain drop hit his face. Ash looked over at Raichu who was still performing the dance to increase the rain pour. As the rain started crashing down Ash wondered what they were up to. 'Is he trying to strengthen surf?" Ash thought. The answer came crashing down to Ash as if it was so obvious.

"Now use thunder" Nick ordered.

"Sceptile dodge" Ash countered.

Sceptile saw Raichu's body crackle with lightning and as soon as it saw the thunder crash down it the grass Pokemon shot to one side and dodged the hit. However the rain prevented any chance of escape as it absorbed the electricity and struck the entire area. Sceptile felt the full force of the attack and could feel its body start to burn. After a few seconds the grass Pokemon, who was holding well against the electric attack as it should, started to burn from the lightning. To its horror it saw its leaves catch a light. The flames consumed the life of the grass Pokemon until there was nothing left to consume. Thankfully for Ash the rain had doused the flames when the attack was called off. Ash took out his Pokeball and recalled his Sceptile quickly. 'Maybe I need a new strategy' thought Ash.

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Right there you go. Next one should be on time rather than a few hours late. Anyway please rate and review as always.


	23. Deeper into hell

**Right sorry about this one being late, but I've been a bit nervous about my results that thankfully were good in the end. So please enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

Ash took the Pokeball and threw it out releasing his Snorlax. The large Pokemon scratched its stomach and let out a loud yawn. Snorlax's heavy eyes gazed around the area. Snorlax say that its opponent was a Raichu who looked to have bared a few battle scars. 'Looks like I can't rely on old tactics. I have to pit power versus power' thought Ash. Nick scanned the large Pokemon for a weakness and he noticed the glaringly obvious weakness and that was its speed.

"Raichu use surf" Nick ordered.

"Snorlax break the wave with giga impact" Ash shouted.

Raichu in an instant rose above Snorlax on another blue wave of water. It then controlled the water to charge at its enemy. Ash noted that the wave had reached the height of Snorlax yet not for long. Snorlax leapt onto its belly and spun at an alarming speed and crashed through the speeding wave, taking out its enemy's platform. The electric Pokemon flew off the wave and crashed and scraped its body along the ground. Nick's Pokemon immediately stood to its feet to see the large Pokemon come to an eventual halt. Snorlax laid on its back trying to regain its energy from the previous attack. Nick had planned on Snorlax using physical attacks to stop the surf.

"Now use thunder" Nick commanded.

Raichu released an overwhelming amount of power from its body. The thunder crashed down and took over the thunderous pour of rain. The current raced around making the attack unavoidable. Though this was only the tip of the iceberg as Snorlax had been soaked from the surf and was in a dangerous position. Snorlax was still tired from the attack and could not move a single muscle. Ash could only look on as Snorlax faced the full brunt of the thunder attack in the pouring rain by an electric Pokemon who had raised its special attack. As the thunder hit the gelatinous belly of the large Pokemon the fat wobbled and sent shock waves through its body. Despite the power Snorlax had managed to transfer the damage around its body. Ash could not help but feel a strong sense of pride over his Pokemon's special abilities.

"Snorlax let's try giga impact one more time" Ash said.

Snorlax climbed to its feet and leapt across the wet ground towards its enemy. Raichu had tired itself out from the over use of thunder, not that it could avoid the speeding boulder in front of it anyway. The large Pokemon hit the electric Pokemon with full force and sent the Pokemon flying into the Gym's wall. The electric mouse's body slowly slid down the wall and fell in a heap on the ground. Normally a trainer would feel pain from their loss of aura, but Nick stood strong without showing an ounce of pain.

Ash noted the strong blue aura from his opponent. Nick took out his Pokeball and returned his fainted Raichu. He then replaced it with another shiny Pokemon. The ball opened revealing a Lucario. The Pokemon let out a roar of power as its aura had joined with Nick's creating a fearsome combination. The militant role suited the Adonis Pokemon who stood strict and ready to strike.

"Now use close combat" Nick ordered.

"Snorlax use rest" Ash countered.

Before the lazy Pokemon could fall asleep the anubis Pokemon raced over to Snorlax and started hitting it. Lucario swung its limbs expertly at the blubber belly Pokemon. Every strike connected in the best way possible to create the most efficient way of damaging its foe. As punches were thrown and kicks were swung Ash's Pokemon's health was being slowly sapped away. Lucario then swung its leg around to send it into the chin of the lazy Pokemon. The force sent the large Pokemon into the air and then to crash onto the ground. Ash stood nervously he waited for his Pokemon to get up, but to no avail. As Ash waited for the pain to strike, he felt nothing. Then the answer came to Ash in the sound of a loud snore. Ash was relieved that his Snorlax had managed to use rest just before it had fainted. Nick expected this from a lazy Pokemon, and is not surprised that it was able to rest in time. After all that came natural to it.

"Lucario use aura sphere" Nick ordered.

"Snorlax use snore" Ash said.

The fighting Pokemon formed a strong blue aura on its hands. The energy grew until a ball started to form between its hands as it filled the empty space. Lucario's usual calm demeanour was shattered by the loud sound of a certain slumbering Pokemon. The sound erupted through the area shaking it slightly. Lucario's aura, which had been charged into its hands, had dissipated from the lack of complete focus. Snorlax unaware of what it had just done scratched its stomach and let out a content sigh as it drifted deeper into sleep. 'Snore will damage Lucario's focus; it appears that physical attacks would be the best approach' Nick thought.

"Now Lucario use close combat" Nick ordered.

"Snorlax use sleep talk" Ash said.

Lucario leapt towards the sleeping Pokemon and swung its foot at the podgy body, but as it did it the large body shot up and collided with the swinging foot. The fighting Pokemon felt its foot become wedged in the many folds of Snorlax's belly. Then the large juggernaut shot forward. Snorlax's mind was asleep, but its body wasn't and it rocketed towards the wall of the gym with the fighting Pokemon trapped in its stomach. The hurtling boulder raced into the wall of the gym and crashed. Snorlax's body went back into resting and it fell onto its back. Ash saw the Lucario had been sucked into the fat to the point where its unconscious upper body was visible. Nick who was trained to avoid pain merely recalled his Pokemon and reached for another capsule shaped item on his belt. Ash suddenly saw a beam of light cover the area. His body instinctively closed his eyes and he covered his eyelids with his arms. When the light faded Ash rubbed his eyes vigorously and he opened them slowly. Ash looked around and saw his companions rubbing their eyes, but the man had vanished without a trace. After that battle Ash had to go and have his Pokemon healed once again at the Pokecentre.

* * *

The group once again found themselves at the gym. They entered through the double doors and saw nothing out of the ordinary however something was bothering Ash. The gym looked smaller than it did from the outside. The entire battle area looked smaller. As Ash looked around the area and saw a door in a dark corner of the room to prevent people from easily noticing it. 'Now why would anyone want that?" Ash questioned to himself. Ash he approached the door he heard voices.

"Remember to send the planes out at midnight when everyone is asleep so we don't arose suspicion. It took enough trouble for Nick to convince Agatha that he was the replacement gym leader so don't waste the illusion with the locals seeing odd planes coming from the plane. Got it memorised?" said someone.

"Yes sir" was the response.

Ash waited for the sound of footsteps to echo away until there the people were gone. 'So that answers two questions, but how can they house an entire army here? Ash opened the door nervously and saw a large indoor hangar. He saw a large roof that looked like it was retractable. Brock noticed a few stairs that went deeper into the base and nudged Ash to point them out. Ash had all the questions answered now. The group walked over to the deep stairs and gingerly made their way deeper into the base. Every once in a while they would encounter a grunt that they would have to hide from to not blow their cover. After a further trek into the underground they found themselves at a turning. One to the left that led up a small incline that led upwards and one on the right that went straight ahead and deeper into the dark base.

"What do you think Ash?" Brock asked.

Ash looked deeply into the deep darkness and hoped that Misty would be there. He looked over at his companions and saw Brock smiling confidently at him while May and Dawn were happily talking to each other. 'It would be best if Brock and I were together that way if we meet Misty she will be more at ease' thought Ash to himself.

"Right Brock and I will go right to find Misty. You three can go left." Ash said.

Paul who had not been listening to what had been said heard a squeal of joy from the two girls next to him. They were happy that they would be travelling together so they could continue their talk about Pokemon contests. Paul wondered why they were happy and felt his blood boil when he saw Ash and Brock walk off to the right. 'What? Where the hell are the going? Oh great, just great I'm left with these idiots who'll never shut up' Paul thought bitterly. May and Dawn were also happy with the fact that they were going to be taking a route that did not involve going deeper into the darkness.

* * *

Ash heard squeals of delight from behind him and smiled to himself. 'I hope Paul doesn't get too angry about being left alone with them' thought Ash. Ash looked at Brock who from the look on his face seemed to have the same thought in his head. Ash and Brock continued deeper into the darkness until they saw a figure before them. Ash smiled and raced off to the silhouette believing that it was Misty.

* * *

"You know I use this great conditioner that makes my little Eevee's fur grow springy so that when you stroke it, it bounces back." May said smiling.

"Oh that's such a great idea. What conditioner do you use?" Dawn asked smiling back.

'It's been four minutes since we started walking and I already want to kill myself.'

The 'happy' little trio had made their way up the slope and further into the base. Paul was reaching the end of his tether with his companions. He quickened up his pace, but noticed the girls sped up to, to keep up with him. 'Why can't they take a bloody hint?' Paul thought angrily. He was waiting for any chance to have a go at the cheerful girls.

"Why's it so chilly here May?" Dawn asked.

"Is it? I hadn't noticed" May said genuinely.

"Wonder why that is" Dawn said.

Paul was unable to resist from having a dig at the curious girl and said "Well maybe you wouldn't be so cold if you wore a skirt to cover your lower body rather than a belt." Paul remarked.

Dawn looked at Paul a bit surprised at his sudden comment and then thought about what he had said. 'But I'm not wearing a belt, just my ski-' Dawn thought to herself as she realised the comment.

"Hey it's not a belt it's fashion you may have heard of it" Dawn spat back.

"I didn't know the in thing was to dress like a whore" Paul said viciously.

May let out a gasp from Paul's comment, she was surprised at the sudden rage from Paul. May looked over to Dawn who was angered by Paul's comment. 'Oh no. I hope I don't get dragged into this' May thought hopefully.

"What would you know about whores? Like you'd ever get girl or more accurately a guy!" screamed Dawn.

"By the way you dress I bet there's no doubt that you'll get more action than me!" Paul shouted back.

"You know what screw you Paul. I've tried to be nice and get you to join the group, but you're too much of a selfish, anti-social idiot for anyone to like" Dawn screamed at him, close to tears.

Dawn had sprinted in front of Paul and had her exchange of insults with him while walking backwards. She had done this to gain his total attention by blocking his vision with her figure. As Dawn was turning around to run off she was stopped by a large arm that shot from a large figure in front of her. The strong hand wrapped tightly around her slender neck.

* * *

Ash ran as fast as he could until he ran out of energy. He looked behind him to see Brock racing to catch up with. 'Wow Ash sure can run when he wants to' thought Brock. Ash's smile dropped when he saw the tall figure wearing a black cloak. It was then that Ash noticed that the person was not Misty. Ash noticed that the person was no where near muscular enough to be Aeleus and so he thought that it must be Luord.

"What now Luord? Have you got another silly little game for us?" Ash asked, getting tired of Luord's games.

Ash was slightly put off by the shrill laughter let out by the man before him. 'Er what's with Luord' thought Ash nervously to himself. Then all was revealed when the hood was taken off. Ash was met with a different person. The man had long sandy coloured hair with two long strands hanging over his shoulder. The man had a long and pointed face. The man was smiling deviously at Ash as if he was planning something.

"Who are you?" Ash asked.

"I am Even, Ash" the man said.

"Well do you know where Misty is?" Ash asked, a bit uncomfortable at the shortness of the answers given to him.

"Yes" Even said still smiling.

"Well erm would you mind telling me?" Ash asked awkwardly.

"Yes, but how about a little battle first just a little one on one?" The man asked.

Ash knew the man wasn't suggesting a battle, he wanted one. 'Should have known it wouldn't have been this easy' Ash thought.

* * *

Dawn's legs were flailing wildly as the grip around her neck tightened. May was frozen with fear at the six foot man in front of her. He had his one hand around the terrified girl's throat. Paul glared at the man who had defeated him in their previous battle, but this time he had evened the odds.

"Hey let her go" Paul said strongly.

"Why? Am I hurting your girlfriend?" Aeleus said gruffly as he tightened his grip.

"No I just don't want you to wear yourself out for our battle. I want to defeat you at full strength" Paul said smartly.

Just as he had predicted that comment had angered the strong man who responded with: "Do you think holding up this little girl is costing me any energy?"

The large man hurled the girl across the area into the frozen stiff brunette. Dawn collided with May and the scared girl hit the wall behind her with her head knocking her out. Dawn passed out from lack of oxygen from being strangled by Aeleus. The large man then looked over at the fierce challenger before him. The man reached for his Pokeball.

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Right I'm very sorry for this being so late, but the next two will be with you on Sunday and Monday. Oh and yes in case you are wondering Paul is a total douche bag. As always please rate and review.


	24. Is that a needle I feel behind me

**I'd just like to thank Aussieking and Pokemaster101 for their reviews. Please read and enjoy.**

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Aeleus took the Pokeball and hurled it out into the area. The capsule broke as a great power was released from it. The large beam of light revealed it to be a fearsome Nidoking. The large Pokemon let out a roar that shook the very ground itself. Aeleus let out an equally powerful roar and released the dark red aura from his body. The aura shot into Nidoking, powering it. Some aura shot past his Pokemon and flew at Paul. Paul smirked and released his deep blue aura that repelled the small amount of aura.

Aeleus looked interestedly at the new trick his opponent had learnt from their previous battle. Paul decided on matching strength for strength and unclipped his Pokeball and sent it out. The ball cracked open revealing a large angry bear Pokemon called Ursaring. Similar to Nidoking, Ursaring also let out a roar to show its dominance in battle. 'Does he genuinely believe that he can match my power?' thought Aeleus to himself.

"Nidoking focus energy" Aeleus ordered.

"Stop it with headbutt Ursaring" Paul countered.

Ursaring let out a loud battle cry and charged at full pelt to the purple armoured Pokemon. Nidoking cried out as it released a large jet of orange energy around its body. The power ran over Nidoking's body empowering it, but it also shot out pushing the attacking Pokemon backwards. Ursaring kept moving slowly to Nidoking from the force of the energy knocking it back.

"Now use earthquake" Aeleus commanded.

Nidoking readied its body as the attacker charged at it. The large bear Pokemon made contact with Nidoking and slammed its head into its opponent. The force knocked the purple Pokemon back, however this was planned. The armoured Pokemon use this force to slam its body to the ground and crack it. With the weight combined with the added momentum, the ground buckled under the force and shook violently.

Aeleus stood strongly unlike Paul who stumbled slightly, despite being a far distance from the attack. Ursaring did not have that luxury and felt the full brunt of the attack. As the earth cracked and moved Paul's Pokemon lost its footing and fell into the cracks in the ground. The shifting plates crushed and mangled the Pokemon trapped inside. Paul glared at being caught off guard by Aeleus's plan.

"Come Ursaring get out of there" Paul said shouting.

As he shouted this, his will took over his aura and released a large quantity at the trapped Pokemon. The aura seeped into the gaps and found its target. Ursaring imbued with a new found power let out a loud battle cry as it shattered the very ground that was trying to kill it. Nidoking was taken a back by not only the ground shattering, but the fact that a Pokemon was able to stand up to its attack.

"Now use hammer arm" Paul ordered.

"Finish this with horn drill" Aeleus retorted.

The long sharp drill on top of the Royal Pokemon began to spin and rotate wildly. Nidoking lowered its head and prepared its self to charge. The purple Pokemon noted the circular pattern on its foe's chest similar to that of a target. The armoured Pokemon charged at the bear Pokemon armed with its spinning horn to knock out its opponent. Ursaring readied itself by charging up its arm with aura and its own power. The two Pokemon charged at each other, one with a powered arm and another with a one hit kill drilling horn.

As the two combatants were inches away from each other Ursaring tilted its body slightly so that the horn missed its target. Nidoking was not so fortunate and felt the full force of the hammer arm under its chin. The force sent the head shooting upwards. If it had not been for the strong physique and armoured body it would have broken its neck. The injured Pokemon staggered back, but as if by magic its injury was fixed by the fiery aura that was flowing through it.

"Now knock it out with thrash!" Paul shouted.

"Release your true power with earth power!" Aeleus roared.

Ursaring's body became overwhelmed with anger. The large bear Pokemon targeted its opponent as the source and answer to its anger. It then charged at full pelt at its foe. Nidoking stamped its foot on the floor and released the fiery aura inside it into the ground. The ground began to tremble as lava began to spurt out of the ground. As the charging Pokemon came closer and closer it kept on taking hits from the lava hitting its body. The lava spurted out and burned the fur and skin of the bear Pokemon.

Ursaring however relentlessly charged through the molten magma until it had closed the gap. It swung its limbs wildly at Nidoking efficiently to create maximum pain and damage. As the anger faded and tiredness set in, the once regal Pokemon had been sent on its back out cold. Ursaring in its fight had become confused from exhaustion. As it stumbled tiredly it stepped over a final lava spurt that shot its payload and depleted the bear Pokemon of its last reserves of energy.

Paul and Aeleus stared at their respective Pokemon. Both had fainted. Both had caused their master's mild pain. Paul winced from the pain, but Aeleus looked as if he had not even felt a thing. Aeleus recalled his fainted Pokemon and Paul reciprocated the action. Paul decided to announce his Pokemon first this time and sent out his Honcrow. The large crow Pokemon let out a loud caw to announce its arrival. Aeleus looked unimpressed at the feathered Pokemon. The large man sent out his next Pokemon. The ball burst open to reveal a tremendously large Steelix. The large Pokemon let out a roar that shook the ground. Before Paul could even gage the size of the Pokemon it immediately burrowed deep into the ground. Paul stood nervously as he could feel the ground shake from the movement of the steel snake Pokemon.

"Honcrow use haze" Paul said.

"Pounce with double edge!" Aeleus shouted.

Honcrow released a haze from its body and covered itself from view. The order had come just in time as Steelix had shot out of the ground and tried to grab the flying Pokemon with its fangs. The snake Pokemon shot into the haze and then returned back to the ground with no prize in its jaw. Paul knew that the large Pokemon wouldn't have been able to find his feathered Pokemon.

"Honcrow use sky attack" Paul ordered.

"Steelix use rock throw" Aeleus said.

Honcrow's body began to glow a bright red as its body glowed with power. Steelix shot out the ground and crashed its tail strongly. The ground cracked and multiple rocks flew out of the ground and into the haze. Paul smirked when he saw the red blaze was still strong in the sky. Steelix after missing its target then dived back into the ground. It was then that the dark Pokemon had finished charging and shot straight out of the haze and like a sparrow diving for a worm, the Honcrow crashed into the ground and looked for its prey.

Paul heard a rumbling sound and then saw the sight of his Pokemon crashing spectacularly out of the ground and back into the haze. Before Honcrow could make it back to the protection of the haze an angry Steelix looking for revenge, the large snake like Pokemon widen its jaw and took the talon of the bird Pokemon in its mouth and bit down. It then let its body go limp as gravity took control. The steel Pokemon's body crashed to the ground with the flying Pokemon still in its grasp. Honcrow let out a cry of pain as it felt the full weight of the Steelix as it crushed it.

The force knocked out the dark Pokemon out however Steelix also lost consciousness. The steel Pokemon had used double edge so the pain that had been afflicted to Honcrow was partly received by the attacker. Paul looked on at awe at how a battle that he should have won easily was turned so quickly. 'He is so determined to win that he'll sacrifice his own Pokemon' Paul thought with admiration. Paul felt a strong stinging pain in his hip, he looked up to see the satisfaction that his opponent might be in the same condition, but he wasn't. Paul felt as if everything he did was pointless, as Aeleus was able to turn the situation around in a few moments.

Aeleus returned his Steelix and sent out his next Pokemon. The ball burst with life as a familiar opponent showed itself. Paul recognised it as the Pokemon that had knocked out his Ursaring. Paul returned his Pokemon and sent out his next choice. The Pokemon showed itself to be the one who had one his match against Luriama and it had the type advantage. His Weavile smiled at the battle it was faced against.

"Marowak use focus energy" Aeleus ordered.

"Stop it with ice beam Weavile" Paul countered.

The large Marowak let out a roar of strength as its body flowed with strength. The power raced around its body increasing its power. The energy flowed out and knocked the Weavile slightly back. Paul looked at the aura that was flowing around him he then looked over at Aeleus's body that was brimming with his aura. Paul noted that he had almost the same amount of aura around him Aeleus; however he did not have the fiery aura that his opponent had. The ice Pokemon gained its balance back and shot an ice beam at Marowak.

The ground Pokemon with its new power shot past its opponent and dodged the attack. Weavile turned its head to try and get the ground Pokemon, but to no avail. It was then that it hatched a plan and fired the beam at the ground. The plan worked as its foe slowed down and stopped so it would not slip up. However Weavile had to stop firing its beam for a moment due to fatigue.

"Try and use another ice beam Weavile" Paul said.

"Retaliate with Bonemerang" Aeleus ordered.

Weavile opened its mouth again and released another light blue stream of ice. Marowak pulled its arm back as far as it would go and then hurled the bone club with all its might. The spinning bone club hurtled at the jet of ice and froze. However the ice did not stop, the club, but only slow it slightly down. The bone club kept spinning and made its way to its target and hit the ice Pokemon in the face. Weavile stumbled backwards from the strike, but stood still.

"Now use fury swipes since it's disarmed" Paul said smiling.

"Quick get your club!" Aeleus shouted.

Marowak made a charge for its club only to be slashed by its opponent rushing past it. The ground Pokemon looked behind it to see Weavile turning around ready to charge past and have another swipe at the ground Pokemon. It managed to make a few more feet to its weapon before feeling another strike on its body. The skull headed Pokemon made a jump for the few feet separating it from its weapon before another strike wounded it. It stumbled over next to the club only to be hit again. Weavile turned around for its fifth and final strike at its target.

As the ice Pokemon made a dash for the ground Pokemon the target fell and turned as it did so. Marowak managed to grab its club and with the falling momentum swung its arm to strike its opponent once again in the face. As the hit connected Weavile lost its balance it fell with its claws bared and swiped one final time. The strike depleted the final energy of Marowak and it too fell unconscious. Paul felt the pain get stronger in him. He saw that Aeleus had merely brushed the feeling aside. 'How is he doing this?' thought Paul hopelessly to himself.

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Ash looked at the man before him and sent out his trusted Pikachu. The little electric mouse let out a squeal of joy at having another battle to fight. The tall thin man called Even chuckled and sent out his Pokemon. The ball opened to revealing a smirking Cloyster. Ash wondered what strategy would be used by this trainer.

"Pikachu use thunderbolt" Ash said.

"Now use withdraw" Even said calmly.

As Pikachu crackled the static electricity in its cheeks the large oyster Pokemon clamped its shell shut to protect itself. The thunderbolt shot to the shelled Pokemon, but the bolt was merely reflected by the shell. Pikachu was surprised by the deflection and tried another thunderbolt, yet the same thing happened again. 'Maybe we need more power' thought Ash to himself.

"Pikachu use thunder" Ash said.

"Cloyster use protect" Even said calmly.

As soon as Pikachu had released all of its power it was blocked by the protection of Cloyster. 'This is going no where. Every thing that I do is stopped. Maybe if I use a more powerful move…' thought Ash. Ash had gotten it into his head that the best way to break a defence was a full on power attack, which did not bode well for Pikachu.

"Pikachu use volt tackle" Ash ordered.

"Aurora beam Cloyster" Even said calmly.

Pikachu ran at the shelled Pokemon who was defending itself quite well. As the electric mouse ran faster and faster it began to burst into a powerful jolt of electricity, however its opponent opened its shell and released a beautiful display at the speeding bullet. The beam hit the ground around Pikachu causing it to lose its mobility. Pikachu span out of control and crashed into a nearby wall. 'How is he doing this? It's as if he's planned everything out in advance.' Ash thought. Ash looked up to see his opponent who turned out to not be there. Ash heard Brock shout out, but it was too late. Ash felt a searing pain in his neck as a hypodermic needle was stabbed into him. He fell to his knees due to the pain. Ash turned his head to see the man put the needle in his coat and smile at him.

"What the hell did you inject me with?" Ash asked worriedly.

The man smiled and nodded at his Pokemon who released another aurora beam from its mouth. The beam shot straight at Brock and Ash who had to dive out of the way to avoid being hit. Ash slowly turned his head to see that the man had vanished. 'Huh he didn't even stick around for the battle' thought Ash confusedly to himself. Ash looked behind him to see a card with a map on it detailing Misty's location. Ash pocketed the card and went over to pick up his pet.

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Right sorry about this being late and I hope to have the next chapter done before Friday. Anyway please as always rate and review.


	25. Death and desire

**Thanks again to Aussieking and Pokemaster101 for their reviews. Anyway please enjoy this story.**

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Paul was never one to give up and confidently sent out his next Pokemon to battle. The ball opened wide to reveal a Magmortar. The large fire Pokemon let out a deep chuckle at Aeleus. Magmortar had not forgotten the previous battle against Aeleus and now it was seeking revenge. Aeleus took his next Pokeball. The ball broke open and revealed an aggressive Rhydon. The large horned Pokemon looked more aggressive than the previous horned foe. This Pokemon was scraping its feet along the ground like a bull ready to charge.

"Rhydon use take down" Aeleus ordered.

"Slow it down with flamethrower" Paul said countering his attackers command.

Rhydon as quick as a flash charged its body full on to the fiery obstacle in front of it. Magmortar just chuckled deeply and aimed its arm cannon at the charging bull. A jet of flames spewed from the mouth of the cannon. The flames created a wall in front of the charging statue Pokemon. However it just kept on running deeper and deeper into the flames and the further it went the hotter it got until its body was glowing a bright red. The rampant statue kept running until it collided head on with the flaming Pokemon.

The momentum sent the fire Pokemon onto its back. Thanks to its rock head ability Rhydon didn't take any recoil damage from the take down, however Magmortar's special ability came into affect too as the ground Pokemon had been burnt. Rhydon let out a roar of pain as its body stung from its burn. The stinging pain made the stone Pokemon more aggressive. More determined to win. More determined to hurt.

"Now crush it with hammer arm" Aeleus ordered determinably.

"Hold it back with hyper beam" Paul commanded indefinitely.

Rhydon raised its fist high in the air and then forcefully lowered it onto its foe. Magmortar raised its cannon arm before the strike could connect and released a beam of pure energy at the stone Pokemon's fist. The attack connected and it collided with the arm and held it back. After a while the intensity of the beam wore down and the arm came closer to its target. When the beam wore out the attack came crashing down, though not as strong as it had planned to be. The attack was still powerful enough to knock the wind out of the fire Pokemon.

"Now while its recharging use megahorn" Aleus commanded strictly.

Rhyhorn raised its head in the air and readied to attack. The stone statue Pokemon slammed its horn forcefully onto the head of its foe. The horn then came crashing down onto its opponent. The rock Pokemon tried to pierce the stomach of Magmortar. The rock Pokemon tried to dig its horn deeper into the belly of the fire Pokemon, but the blazing flames that covered its body pushed and held it back, while heating it up till the horn starting to turn to bright red. Rhyhorn winced and moved its horn away from the fierce flames.

"Now use focus punch" Aeleus ordered with force.

"Poison it with smog" Paul shouted quickly.

Rhydon positioned itself with its fist held ready to pummel the fire Pokemon. Magmortar released a strong dark green smog from its cannon that sprayed around the area. The smog slowly crept up to the stone Pokemon, but the smog did not reach its target in time and after attaining perfect focus, the rock Pokemon charged through the green smoke and slammed its fist into its opponent. The force sent the fire Pokemon out of the green smog. Paul could only look on as his Pokemon shot past him and into a wall. This wasn't the only casualty though…

Paul looked over in the direction of loud coughing and hacking sounds. The noise was emanating from the smog. Paul stared curiously at the cloud wondering what was going on. A few seconds past until the sight of Aeleus's Pokemon stumbling out of the sickly green smog. The large stone Pokemon had found itself lost in the smog. The smoke had overwhelmed the stone Pokemon and poisoned it beyond consciousness. The two combatants had both received the same pain from defeat, however only one had actually felt it. Paul looked weakly at Aeleus who did not seem to even feel the pain.

Paul had now lost any strength that he may have had. He now was a clockwork toy mindlessly following its programming of sending and returning Pokemon and to attack. Paul returned his Pokemon and then sent out his second from last Pokemon. The large Torterra let out a loud battle cry. The grass Pokemon looked over to its master to see the usual look of pride on his face, but there was none and this disheartened the large turtle Pokemon slightly.

Aeleus returned his Pokemon and looked at the weak pathetic excuse of a fighter. 'I thought this would be a challenge and although he is proving stronger than before, his will to fight cannot keep up in this battle' Aeleus mused to himself. The muscular man returned his fainted Pokemon and sent out his Regirock. The large rock Pokemon surveyed its area and noted two opponents. Paul was surprised that Aeleus had chosen a Pokemon that was weak against both grass and ground moves.

"Now use hammer arm" Aeleus instructed.

"Try to stop it with leaf storm" Paul said almost as a suggestion.

The legendary Pokemon swung its arm at the heavy tortoise Pokemon in front of it. As the tree trunk like arm hurtled to its opponent, Torterra countered by flinging a barrage of bladed leaves at the Pokemon's arm. The force was strong enough to recoil the arm and prevent the attack whilst causing some damage itself. Paul found it difficult to see if the Regirock was in pain from the lack of a face.

"Ancient power" Aeleus said.

"Use earthquake to stop its using the rocks" Paul said energetically as he was finding his groove.

As the amalgamation of disjointed rocks tried to raise a few boulders from the ground to throw at its opponent it noticed that it could not. Its opponent, Torterra, had crashed its foot onto the ground shattering the ground and any large chunk of earth into pieces. Regirock tried to stay stable, but the shifting plates in the ground had other ideas as they knocked the rock Pokemon to one side. This was obviously not the killing blow, but Paul felt that it was a good step in the right direction. Paul could feel his hardened battle spirit return with every attack he made.

"Super power Regirock" Aeleus shouted loudly.

"Drain it of its power with giga drain" Paul shouted boisterously.

Regirock's body glowed with an immense power that gave it the strength to lift mountains and crush seas. That power was sapped from it from a rather greedy Torterra who kept the strength for itself. The energy absorbed was tenfold what the turtle Pokemon usually experienced due to super power energy and the type advantage. Paul was satisfied with the fact that every attack that had been issued from Aeleus had been perfectly countered and resulted in damaging results for Regirock. Paul looked over at the beaten up rock pile. 'Looks like I'll be the first one to issue an attack in this battle that actually follows through' Paul thought smugly. This however was what was intended by opponent.

"Now finish it with leaf storm" Paul shouted with confidence.

"Finish this with explosion" Aeleus ordered flatly.

Before Paul could realise or even comprehend what was going to happen, it happened. The individual rocks on the Regirock's body began to spin wildly until they went a bright white. The rocks exploded and released the energy throughout the area. Torterra could not evade the attack and was consumed the burning flames of the blast. Paul had to shield himself as he felt some of the energy rush past and singe his body. He winced at the slight pain.

Paul looked curiously behind him to see May and Dawn had not been affected as Torterra and he had taken the full brunt of the attack. Suddenly a searing pain shot through his nerves and pulled him to his knees. Paul tried to stand up, but to no avail. Paul had noticed that he had become more used to the pain as the more experienced it. Paul looked unsurprisingly to see that his Pokemon had been rendered fainted and Aeleus was standing without a scratch on his body. Paul felt weak. The one thing he had vowed he would never become. Paul returned his fainted Pokemon and sent out his last Pokemon. Aeleus had one last Pokemon left and that was the one who resembled him most of all, his Machamp that he sent out. Paul had followed suit and sent out his Electvire.

"Focus energy now Machamp" Aeleus ordered.

"Defend with light screen Electvire" Paul shouted.

The burning aura shot out of Aeleus and merged with the orange focus energy of Machamp. The result was a near explosion as the two energies erupted into a marvellous display of power. Paul could only look in awe at the seductive power that enticed him. Electvire was pleased with the order to create a light screen as it had absorbed the entire aura that normally would have knocked it back.

"Now use thunder" Paul said desperately.

"Prepare yourself with revenge" Aeleus commanded.

Electvire charged the muscles in its body with static electricity. As the current built up the long tentacles on its arms started to shake violently from the amount of voltage coursing through them. The tentacles then shot forward and latched themselves onto Machamp's arms. They then released a high amount of electricity into the fighting Pokemon. This only fuelled the anger of the muscular Pokemon who took hold of the tentacles with its fist and pulled the electric Pokemon forward suddenly. The large yellow Pokemon bolted in the direction it was pulled. Machamp then swung its arm and smashed its limb into the face of its opponent. The force sent the electric Pokemon flying backwards into the ground. Paul could feel a blinding pain as his final Pokemon took a great deal of pain. Paul knew he would have to change the pace of the battle. If the results were consistent then Paul and Aeleus would both disappear.

"Crush it with super power" Aeleus said as if it were the final sentence of Paul.

For the first time Paul was not paying attention in battle to order an attack to counter. Paul wasn't listening to the order given and so had to issue his late. This would prove costly…

"Quick use protect" Paul shouted quickly.

Electvire did not have enough time to produce the shield in time, but thankfully the light screen proved an ample sacrifice to buy some time. As the Machamp cracked the screen of light and moved onto the dome of light. Assault after assault of hits rained down on the shield, slowly weakening it. Paul for the first time felt like getting down on his knees and praying that some how the stars would align in his favour. Paul tried to release his aura to empower the dome, but every time he tried to do that Aeleus countered with his own aura. Paul had no other choice and released his entire willpower to his defence. It had come down to who had the greater desire to live. Finally the shield cracked and Paul could see Machamp inches away from winning the battle. However fatigue had set in and the final attack was anti-climatic and merely made the electric Pokemon stumble backwards. Now was the time to strike.

"Finish this with brick break!" Paul shouted on the top of his lungs.

A pair of eyes fluttered open as they scanned the area. Dawn let out a groan as she saw the events that unravelled in front of her. The yellow Pokemon then regained its balance and punched in Machamp's face, lower body then finally delivering the final hit to the stomach of the fighting Pokemon. The force defeated the Pokemon and won Paul the match. Paul was smirking darkly at defeating his greatest opponent. There was one last thing he wanted.

"I want your aura" Paul said.

Aeleus chuckled for one of the rare times in his life and looked at the man in front of him and said "Why would I want to do that? Sure I'm going to disappear, but why should I give the rest of my aura to a hopelessly good guy like you?"

"Because I don't care about doing good things. All I want is power" Paul said bluntly.

As if that had unlocked some sort of solution. Aeleus smiled and released his fiery aura from his body. The aura shot out and joined with Paul as it turned it from the usual deep blue colour to a fiery charcoal colour. Then Aeleus faded away before his very eyes. Paul was smiling with delight at the sudden rush of power. Dawn could only watch on in horror at this transformation. This rush of power was just that and was too much for Paul. He could feel himself get light headed and he fell to the ground. Dawn watched him fall to the ground and she got up and raced over to see if he was ok.

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Ash could feel his feet get sore from the constant walking that he had been doing. Part of him wanted to take just a short break, but the other part ordered him on. Ash rubbed his neck where it still stung from his previous encounter with Even. As Ash raised his head to see where he was going he could see a figure in front of him. Ash then sprinted off, ignoring Brock and the pain in his feet. This time he hoped it would be Misty. And this time he was not disappointed. Ash had caught the orange haired girl just as she was leaving her room. The girl heard the sound of loud footsteps and turned her heard to see the cause.

She could hardly believe her eyes at the sight of Ash and her long time friend Brock. Before she could say anything she was tackled to the ground by Ash. The black haired boy had wrapped his arms tightly around her. She looked down and smiled at Ash who was smiling back at her. The young couple laid in their embrace for a while until they felt Brock had caught up to them. Misty stood up with Ash. The girl walked forwards and greeter her old friend with a soft embrace. Ash was happy that the 'old gang' was back together.

"Great to see you again Misty, but as much as I would love to continue catching up withy you we have a job to do. Bring down Team Rocket. Are you in?" Brock asked hesitantly.

Misty looked over to Ash who was looking her nervously. The girl then returned with her verdict "You can count me in Brock".

The group exchanged smiles and continued their trek. Misty told them that she knew where the leader's room was in the base. She said she had never been in there, but that they had to go there to end Team Rocket. Whilst walking along Ash discovered an interesting looking Pokeball.

"Hey Misty pretty cool eh?" said Ash smiling.

"Please being in Team Rocket I've seen them all. From master balls to stone Pokeballs." Said Misty.

Ash felt a bit embarrassed at having mentioned it. When the group had turned their heads and started walking on Ash put the Pokeball into his pocket and caught up with them.

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I'm sorry for this being late and I hope to be a bit more punctual in future. As always please read and review.


	26. Cut off the head and the beast dies?

**Sorry again with the delay of chapters, but trying to enrol into my uni by the internet is not easy. Anyway please do enjoy. Oh and thank you to Pokemaster101 once again for her review. And one final thing that I think I may have failed to mention and that is that unless you watch the anime and have seen any Hoenn or Sinnoh episodes then you may be a bit confused to what is going on as there will be references. If curious either ask me or search on bulbapedia:D.**

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Ash had walked slowly so that he could hang behind the group. Ash took the ball that he had found and looked at it. As he stared at the ball he held in his hands. Ash wondered if anything may be inside the ball and he pressed the button. The ball burst open and shot out a net that captured Ash. Ash looked nervously at his friends who had suddenly turned around at the noise. Brock just rolled his eyes at Ash's boyish curiosity at finding new items. Misty was smiling at how Ash after all this time had not changed. 'I've missed him' thought Misty smiling to herself.

Ash could feel his cheeks go red at them embarrassment as he tried to pull the net off him. Misty shook her head and let out a soft giggle. The orange haired girl walked over to Ash and helped pull the netting off the nervous boy. Ash put the net back into the ball and he placed it into his pocket and muttered a shy thanks at the girl. Misty smiled at Ash and then turned around to continue their journey to the Team Rocket leader's room. Misty had been able to convince any passing grunts that they were captives to be taken to the leader. 'Thank goodness they haven't figured out about Misty yet' thought Ash relieved.

The trio had wandered for a while until they reached a large double door with a Red R placed on the front of it. The R was large and bold and imposed itself to people hoping to enter the room. Not unlike the syndicate it was symbolising. Ash looked left and right and saw no guards. This did make him feel uncomfortable, however it would not stop the head first boy. Ash grabbed the handles of the door and pulled with all his might. The harder he pulled the door, the more he could feel it start to budge.

Brock moved over to help Ash with the door and pulled as well. Misty grabbed onto a handle of the door and joined in on the struggle. With their combined strength the door began to move easily and soon the entrance to the office was open. Ash stepped out from behind the door and peered into the room. He squinted his eyes and tried to see what was in the room. The room was practically pitch black. Ash took a brave step into the room to try and see anything of importance. As he looked around suddenly a flash of light illuminated the room.

Ash closed his eyes at the sudden change in vision. Brock and Misty shielded their eyes from the light. As their vision adapted to the light, they slowly opened their eyelids. Ash looked around the room and was able to see a fairly large area that was deprived of any furnishings bar a desk and a large chair in front of it. Despite the sudden change in luminosity in the room there was still a dark patch where the chair and desk was. Misty and Brock stepped into the room with Ash and looked at the dark area. The group looked at the figure in the chair and tried to see who it could possibly be. Then the answer came in the form of a heavy chuckle.

"Aura. Such an interesting power wouldn't you say?" the figure asked.

The large figure stepped out of the shadows and into the light. Ash could feel his breath get caught in his throat. 'No I thought we got rid of you' Ash thought. Before him stood a strongly built man in an orange suit, the man had straight short black hair that was neatly combed. The man had a menacing smirk on his face that hid evil intentions. The man was the old leader of Team Rocket who had returned to take control. The man was of course Giovanni.

"How, how did you come back? I thought you dismantled Team Rocket. Why are you back" asked Ash confused.

"I had planned on an early retirement and just living a peaceful of rich and fortune, but after I discovered about Lucario's power and of course your exploits where you could control the aura I started wonder, how could this aid me? Then it was only a matter of time until loyal members of Team Rocket rejoined. After this I could finally utilise the power of aura" Giovanni said explaining.

Ash was taken a back by this revelation. It was as if all that he had done in the past, had all been for naught. No matter how hard they tried to stop Team Rocket, they would eventually regroup and reform. Like an ant hill, even if you set it on fire and all its occupants, a few drones will survive and repopulate the army. Ash watched the man move behind his desk and pressed a button. When the button was pressed the room began to increase in size.

The floor opened up revealing a rugged terrain. The walls moved back to widen the area. Ash knew what this meant and reached for his Pokeball at the same time Giovanni did. The two combatants threw out their Pokeballs and sent out their respective Pokemon. Misty and Brock stood to one side to gauge the battle enfolding in front of them. Ash's Pokeball burst open and his Donphan was set into battle. Giovanni's Pokeball broke open and revealed a Golem. Ash noticed a sudden deep blue aura around Giovanni's body.

"Donphan use rollout" Ash ordered.

"Golem use tackle" Giovanni said smiling.

The elephant Pokemon curled up into a ball and charged its body into the large boulder Pokemon. The Golem retaliated by curling into a ball and charged at the curled up ground Pokemon. The two Pokemon collided, and Donphan received the brunt of the attack and was knocked back. 'Golem's tackle it stronger than my Pokemon's rollout, but if I can keep Donphan going then just maybe it will be stronger' Ash thought to himself. Golem then continued its tackle and crashed itself into its opponent whilst it was continuing its rollout attack.

The two spherical Pokemon slammed into each other and knocked each other back. Ash noticed that this time both Pokemon were knocked back. Then Donphan shot at its opponent, faster than before, and knocked it further back. The ground elephant Pokemon then shot around the side and hit Golem on its side and sent it into a wall. As the rock Pokemon ricocheted against the wall it headed towards it foe. Ash's Pokemon then charged its full strength into its final rollout attack and smashed Golem back into the wall for good.

He felt a pain sting in his side. 'So this is what we experience when we lose' mused Giovanni to himself. Giovanni's Pokemon had become wedged into the wall as it crashed and caused a large dent in the wall. This did not bode well for Giovanni'stemper. Giovanni grunted in anger and retuned his fainted Pokemon. 'Useless Pokemon' thought Giovanni. The man then returned his Pokemon and sent out his next Pokeball. The Pokeball cracked open and released a Kingler. The large crab Pokemon clicked its claws in anticipation of the battle before it.

"Donphan use rollout" Ash said as he was getting into the battle.

"Counter with crabhammer" Giovanni said smirking.

The elephant Pokemon curled up into a tight ball and charged quickly at the crab Pokemon. Kingler merely swung its claw back and then followed through by smashing its opponent back. Donphan then bravely charged back and attacked another two times, both of which it was sent back by Kingler's claw. 'This isn't going to work. I'll need another plan' Ash thought.

"Donphan use earthquake" Ash said energetically.

"Harden" Giovanni instructed.

Donphan leapt into the air and curled up into a ball to crash into the ground and caused a powerful tremor. The crustacean Pokemon's shell began to shine as it began to harden, just as it was about to be attacked. The force ran through the body of the crab Pokemon who took the hit while bracing itself. The attack weakened the Pokemon, but did not knock it out. Giovanni noticed that his opponent's Pokemon was upside down and wedged into the ground after performing its attack. This was something that he planned to exploit along with Kingler's low health.

"Now use brine" Giovanni ordered.

"Pierce it with hyper beam!" Ash shouted.

The ground Pokemon tried to free itself and fire a beam of energy at its opponent from its trunk, yet it could not free itself. No matter how hard it shook itself it could not get free and was forced to endure the current. The crustacean Pokemon opened its claw and aimed it in the air. Then a large puddle of water spat out of the claw and into the air. The brine then fell down and crashed into its target. Due to low health of Kingler its brine doubled in attack and was enough to wipe out its opponent. Ash felt a wince of pain as his Donphan fainted. Misty looked on sympathetically at Ash as she saw the pain he was in.

Ash took his Pokeball and returned his Pokeball back to its capsule. Ash then chose his next Pokemon as a test of how strong he and his Pokemon were. The thrown ball opened and out came a large crab Pokemon. Ash's Kingler noticed its opponent was the same Poemon as it. The crustacean Pokemon was set to prove that it was the top Kingler.

"Kingler use crabhammer" Ash said.

"Use crabhammer as well Kingler" Giovanni retorted.

The two water Pokemon shot at each other and slammed their claws against each other. The two seemed matched until one seemed to gain the upper hand. Ash looked nervously as he had forgotten which Pokemon was his. The crustacean Pokemon then knocked its opponent's claw back and then swung at its face, sending it crashing back. Ash stood nervously as he tried to figure out what had happened to his Kingler.

"Er Kingler can you use hyper beam?" Ash asked.

To Ash's joy his Kingler was the won who had not been knocked back. The water Pokemon opened its claw at the stunned Pokemon and fired a beam of pure energy at its immobilised counterpart. The sheer amount of energy crashed through the target and tore the wall behind it into a mangled mess. Giovanni had felt another sting of pain from losing another Pokemon and so soon as well. Not forgetting his office was being destroyed. But he wasn't worried at all; he did after all have a back up plan…

Giovanni returned his Pokemon and chose his next one carefully. The tall man threw out his Pokeball and released his Machamp. The muscular Pokemon started to show off its abnormally strong muscles by flexing arrogantly. Ash had faced this Pokemon before against Aeleus, but this time he thought he'd have an easier challenge. Giovanni had more confidence in this Pokemon and relied on using brute strength to win this fight.

"Machamp use cross chop" Giovanni ordered.

"Kingler use crabhammer" Ash said retaliating.

The strong muscular Pokemon placed its arms in an x-shape and swiped at its opponent. The large crab Pokemon swung its claw at the fighting Pokemon to counter the attack. The two strong arms were strong than just Kingler's one claw and knocked it onto its back. Ash looked on as his water Pokemon's little legs were flailing wildly as it tried to self right itself. Machamp just laughed at the pathetic sight before it. The fighting Pokemon then looked over to its master for the final order.

"Now use karate chop on its weak underbelly" Giovanni instructed.

Ash did not bother issuing an attack as he knew he had lost this battle. The fighting Pokemon took one strong step forward and slammed its hand onto the stomach of the crustacean Pokemon. The large crab Pokemon let out a loud cry of pain from the attack. The force had knocked the wind out of the water Pokemon and any remaining energy. Deprived of any energy to keep it awake the water Pokemon fainted. Ash could not stop himself from letting out a groan of pain. He felt a twinge in his heart when he looked over and saw Misty with a worried expression on her face.

Ash took Kingler's Pokeball off his belt and returned his old friend to the safety of the Pokeball. Ash then reached for his third Pokeball and sent it out along with the Pokemon in it. The ball burst open, freeing the Pokemon inside it which showed itself to be Sceptile. The grass Pokemon was a good choice against Machamp as both were expert fighters. Sceptile sized up the its opponent, but it naturally felt that it would have the upper hand from its advantage of speed and the bladed weapons it bore on its arms.

"Sceptile use X-scissor" Ash said.

"Hit it with cross chop" Giovanni ordered.

The two Pokemon collided their arms into one other. Both had fashioned their arms into an x formation and attacked. Machamp had brought his arms down onto Sceptile to try and send it crashing to the ground. Likewise the bladed Pokemon had down the same thing only it managed to cause more damage to its foe. The sharp blades on the grass Pokemon's arms had dug into the muscles on Machamp. The digging into the flesh had caused great pain for the fighting Pokemon. It tried to wiggle its way, but the jagged edges only went deeper into the arms. Giovanni saw that he was losing this fight, but he had a way of turning the tables on his opponents.

"Now use submission" Giovanni commanded.

As quick as a flash the fighting Pokemon had spun around and altered the position. Now it was holding Sceptile's arms behind its back with two arms while the third arm held it still and the fourth was wrapped around the throat. The muscular Pokemon had gotten the grass Pokemon in a submission. Sceptile tried to break free, but the strong arms pinned it still and with every passing second the bladed Pokemon could feel its ability to stay conscious falter. Ash knew he had to think of something, but what? His Pokemon was trapped. Then a plan formed in Ash's head when he saw how Sceptile's arms were being held.

"Extend your blades and use leaf blade" Ash said quickly.

Sceptile extended the blades and just as Ash had planned it worked. The arms holding the grass Pokemon's hands were aligned with the blades and so by extending them they were able to impale the muscular arms. Machamp cried out in pain and impulsively let go of the same arms that had stabbed it. The now free Pokemon took advantage of this moment and use its leaf blade across the only part of its opponent that wasn't muscular, its head. One blade swiped under the chin and sent the head upwards whilst the second blade followed through and hit the side of the target and sent it crashing onto the ground.

Giovanni felt a strong sharp pain in his heart from losing his Pokemon. The man returned his Pokemon to his Pokeball and nodded at is prized Pokemon, his shiny Persian. The elegant Pokemon moved gracefully over to the battlefield and hissed at his opponent. 'He better hope that he doesn't knock out my next Pokemon, who'll he will regret facing my final choice' though Giovanni as he mentally chuckled to himself.

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Right so sorry for the delay, but I managed to get it out just in time before I can't use the internet. I'm currently one chapter behind so I'll try to get three done at the weekend. Any please rate and review as always:D.


	27. Knight takes Pawn

**Right it may interest you to know that the story is near the end. Or is it? Heh heh heh. Anyway please enjoy.**

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"Sceptile use leaf blade" Ash said.

"Now use Toxic" Giovanni ordered.

Sceptile extended its blade from its arms and charged at its opponent at a phenomenal speed. Persian stood still until the time was right. When the target was in range it opened its mouth and spat out a sticky purple ooze at its foe. The purple mess stuck onto the grass Pokemon and stuck it to the ground, preventing it from carrying through with the attack. The toxic sludge started to seep into the pores as poisoned its target. Sceptile fell to the ground as it felt its body grow weaker and weaker by the minute. The jewel Pokemon began to start to circle its weak opponent like a cat circling an injured pigeon. Giovanni smirked as he knew his favourite Pokemon would not let him down.

"Now finish it off with slash" Giovanni commanded.

The elegant cat Pokemon showed its true colours when it pounced and strike with its claws. The sharp claws on the paw of Persian tore into the back of the grass Pokemon with pure force. The pain that shot through Sceptile's body was unparalleled and combined with the poison rushing through its body, there was no hope for the bladed Pokemon. It felt its eyelids grow heavy until they closed and brought it to the state of unconsciousness. Ash let out a wheeze of pain from the loss of aura from his Pokemon fainting.

Brock and Misty looked concernedly at their long time friend who was in a great deal of pain, however what they didn't know was that the more Pokemon lost, the far greater the pain got. Ash fumbled with his Pokeball and recalled his Pokemon. As the laser pulled the Pokemon back into the capsule, Ash chose a Pokemon to counter Giovanni's favourite Pokemon, the choice was of course his Pikachu. The energetic Pokemon leapt off its master's shoulder and into battle. A slight crackling sound could be heard from the red cheeks of the electric mouse as it was anticipating the battle with the cat Pokemon. The Persian, befittingly, began circling the little mouse Pokemon.

"Now use slash" Giovanni commanded.

"Counter with iron tail" Ash ordered.

The sharp claws of the cat Pokemon shot out of the paws and the Pokemon lunged at its opponent. As this happened Pikachu started to charge strength and the tail began to harden like the steel. The two weapons clashed with the sharp claws hitting the steel tail. The forces were equally matched and sent both Pokemon back from each other. Persian and Pikachu then leapt back at each other, however the same incident repeated and the two Pokemon were thrown back.

"Persian use toxic" Giovanni said as he repeated his previous strategy.

"Pikachu use volt tackle" Ash said with zest.

Pikachu started running at the cat Pokemon as fast as it could. The speed of the electric Pokemon went higher as a strong current enthralled the little yellow body. Persian then did what it was in its nature to do and waited until the right moment to strike. As the speeding bullet came closer and closer to its aim the feline Pokemon opened its mouth and in reminiscent of its attack in the previous battle, spat out a glob of toxic. As the sticky purple ooze hurtled towards its target the voltage rushing through the little electric Pokemon reacted the toxic and dissipated it.

The wild volts shot off the mouse Pokemon's body and hit the toxic causing it to burst and evaporate into nothing. Persian's attack may have stopped, but another one didn't. Before it could dodge the attack, the speeding rocket collided into the helpless Persian and released all the power it had charged up into the feline Pokemon. The Pokemon let out a loud cry of pain as it was sent crashing back. Giovanni looked in anger at his most prized Pokemon being knocked to one side so easily by Ash and his Pokemon. 'A mouse Pokemon beating a cat Pokemon, how did that happen?' thought Giovanni to himself.

Giovanni could feel the strong pain grow greater as his Pokemon laid unconscious on the ground. The large man in the orange suit tried to stand tall and not show his pain to his opponents. Instead the man calmly picked up his Pokemon and placed it softly on his chair. Giovanni then picked his next Pokeball and sent it out. The ball broke open and released a Rhydon. The large stone Pokemon was another Pokemon that Ash had encountered against Aeleus, but this one did not have the strength of the dark red aura. Ash remembered being told by Gary how Giovanni's Pokemon were easy to defeat, but he could win against his opponent's Mewtwo. 'Thanks goodness I don't have to face that problem' Ash thought relieved to himself.

"Rhydon use iron tail" Giovanni said with conviction.

Ash had no choice but to use iron tail due to Rhydon's type and so he issued his order: "Pikachu use iron tail".

The large stone Pokemon charged strength in its tail as did its opponent. The large Rhydon then turned its body and swung its tail with might. The swinging tail shot around from behind the rock Pokemon and directly at the little mouse Pokemon. Pikachu after charging enough vigour into its tail then leapt into the air and onto the swinging tail. The little yellow mouse Pokemon then nimbly bounced off the swinging tail and then brought the iron tail crashing down on the large stone Pokemon's head.

The force was strong enough to knock the already unstable Pokemon off balance and it hit the ground with a loud thud. The attack alas was not a winning blow and Rhydon merely got up ready to attack again. Ash had to hope that iron tail would be able to stand up against all the other attacks from the stone Pokemon.

"Pikachu use iron tail" Ash said.

"Rhydon use sandstorm" Giovanni countered.

Pikachu began to once again charge strength into its tail until it became as hard as steel. Pikachu then leapt again in the air to whip its tail across the face of its opponent; however the change in setting hindered this plan. A sudden sandstorm was whipped up and the little electric Pokemon could not find its opponent. To make matters worse the fierce sandstorm started buffering the mouse Pokemon. Ash tried to look for his pet Pokemon, but he could not find it at all. All he could see was Brock and Misty.

"Now use giga impact" Giovanni shouted.

"Pikachu please try and hit it with iron tail" Ash pleaded to his Pokemon somewhere in the sand storm.

Ash stood still as he felt the ground shake. 'Rhydon must be attacking Pikachu' thought Ash. Ash could see a large shadow in the sand storm get bigger and darker with every passing second. Ash finally realised what was going to happen and rolled out of the way in time. The large shadow turned out to be the large stone Pokemon who crashed through the sandstorm and into the wall behind Ash. The black haired boy looked to see Rhydon had knocked its self out from crashing its head into the wall.

The large Pokemon had fainted from the collision. Ash looked nervously around wondering where his beloved Pokemon was. The answer came in the form of a noise sounding like 'chaa'. Ash looked relieved to his see little yellow Pokemon hopped off from behind the large Pokemon and over to its master. Ash noticed the sand blowing away and for it to reveal an injured Giovanni. The large man was wheezing heavily from the amount of pain he was in, however there was a dark grin plastered on his face. The man returned his Pokemon and sent out his next Pokemon.

This Pokemon did not enter the area through a Pokeball, but rather through the flick of a switch. As Giovanni pressed a button the wall where he had been standing against slid up and revealed an uncomfortable sight. Ash saw Mewtwo, but not as he knew him. The psychic Pokemon was covered in an armour helmet and various other mind controlling armour. 'How did he find Mewtwo? I thought he was safe' Ash thought worriedly.

"You're probably wondering how I obtained Mewtwo again. Well after learning about aura I knew that I had a stronger way of powering the control I had over Mewtwo. Now I just had the problem of finding him. Thankfully Aeleus who is quite adept at using aura used his to find this Pokemon" Giovanni said explaining.

Before Ash could ask any more questions he was silenced by the sight of Giovanni's aura flowing out and surrounding the psychic Pokemon. The aura combined with the armour further enhancing the strength of the control the man had over it. 'Great now I have to try and defeat Mewtwo' thought Ash to himself. Ash despite facing a remarkably difficult challenge he wasn't going to be one to shy away from it. Misty and Brock were both familiar of the power that the legendary Pokemon had and they were worried for Ash's safety.

"Pikachu use thunder" Ash ordered.

Without having to say a word Giovanni was able to order Mewtwo to attack through the use of his aura. The legendary Pokemon's eyes glowed a bright blue as it took control of the large thunder about to crash down on it. The thunder then twisted away from its intended target and shot at the creator of the thunder. The electricity engulfed the little yellow Pokemon and shot it back. The little Pokemon let out a squeal of pain as it felt the full brunt of the attack. Ash moved his body to catch his Pokemon, but he only went back into the wall with Pikachu.

Misty let out a cry as she saw Ash smash his back into the wall. Just as the orange haired girl was about to run over to help Ash out she ran into a transparent wall blocking her off. Ash held his tongue and tried not to show the pain he was in. 'I don't want to give Giovanni that satisfaction, but I don't want to worry my friends' thought Ash to himself. Ash carefully laid his Pokemon on the ground and decided on his next choice of Pokemon.

Ash threw the Pokeball and it burst open revealing a furious looking fire Pokemon. The dragon Pokemon let out a burst of flames from its mouth. Mewtwo stood static as it waited for the order from its controller. Ash looked horrified at how mechanic the psychic Pokemon was. What was once a Pokemon desperate for freedom and choice was now the weapon of an evil man. 'Mewtwo's strong, but I know a move that will hurt it no matter how strong its defence may be' contemplated Ash.

"Charizard use dragon breath" Ash ordered.

As the large Pokemon released a blue jet of fire from its mouth the psychic Pokemon just stood still. When the attack was in striking distance it dissipated. Ash saw that the legendary Pokemon was using barrier to stop Charizard's attack. As the jet slowly wore down, the fire Pokemon stopped its attack and waited a moment to recharge, before it could do that Giovanni ordered retaliation. The Mewtwo placed its hands together and charged a dark shadow ball.

The ball grew larger and larger until it was shot at its opponent at an accelerating speed. The large dark orb hit the fire Pokemon in the torso. Judging the attack it appeared as it rather than hurting its target the dark ball had rather sapped away its strength. Ash saw his Pokemon come close to being knocked out and he knew he had to do something.

"Charizard quick use flare blitz" Ash cried out.

The large fire Pokemon tried to charge fire into its body, but nothing happened. The shadow ball had somehow taken all the strength and reduced it to nothing. Ash could only watch on as his Pokemon was raised into the air and throw viciously against the wall. Ash watched on with sorrow as his Pokemon was pummelled repeatedly against the wall from the use of psychic, until it was finished. Charizard was released and fell to the ground with a loud thump. The next pain that followed Ash was impossible to hide. It struck him in the heart and sent him sprawling to the ground.

The weak boy let out a loud cry of pain as he could feel his body writhe in pain. Misty stared at Ash with fear. She tried to help him, but the barrier around him prevent her getting to him. After feeling his body adjust to the pain, the young boy slowly got to his knees. He then returned his Pokemon and then sent out his final Pokemon. The ball broke open widely to reveal his Snorlax. In classic fashion the tubby Pokemon covered its mouth with is hand and let out a loud yawn.

Before Ash could issue an attack Mewtwo hit. Anther large dark ball was fired from the psychic Pokemon and straight at the lazy Pokemon. The ball made Snorlax wheeze from pain, but overall it did not look as it had been as strongly affected as the Pokemon before it. 'I can't risk taking any chances. I'll have to play this safe' thought Ash hesitantly to himself.

"Now Snorlax use rest" Ash said.

Before the large Pokemon could drift off into the land of nod it was hit by an odd glint from the bright blue eyes of its opponent. The psychic Pokemon had used disable and preventing it from healing itself. 'Now I really have to play this safe' thought Ash.

"Mewtwo don't you remember us? Please try and remember us. It's me Misty"

Ash looked over to where the sound had come from and saw Misty trying to free Mewtwo from its control. The Psychic slowly lowered its head as if remembering something then the aura overwhelmed it and it used its disable again, this time on the spiky tanned man behind her. As Brock stood frozen Ash watched Misty being raised into the air. Ash cried out no, but it was no good and the poor girl was thrown violently into a wall, thus silencing her. Ash ran to help her but he felt a barrier around him. 'Figures' thought Ash to himself. Ash looked over at Giovanni and then to Mewtwo then to Snorlax. 'I wonder' thought Ash.

"Snorlax use giga impact" Ash commanded.

The tubby Pokemon let out a yawn and then its body shot into action. Its body jerked and its belly stuck out further than usual and it charged at its foe. Giovanni chuckled as he made Mewtwo use psychic to stop the charging boulder. However to Giovanni's surprise the large Pokemon was not easily thrown back. The man in the orange suit saw Ash was using his aura to strengthen the attack. With this it gave Snorlax the extra momentum to power through. Giovanni met this problem by using his aura to strengthen his Pokemon.

As he did this the juggernaut was slowly being pushed back. Giovanni smirked, but this smile fell when he saw Ash smiling to himself. Ash stopped using the aura he had on his Pokemon, which resulted it in being shoved into a wall, yet this did minimal damage. Ash then used his aura and shot it at Mewtwo. The aura surged round and aided the psychic Pokemon's desire for freedom against the machine. Since Giovanni had moved his aura from controlling to power it took only a few seconds for the armour to shatter.

The Team Rocket leader looked on in fear as his machine was free from its chains. The psychic Pokemon looked vengefully at its former controller. In one glow of its eyes it had removed the last of Giovanni's aura. The man let out a loud cry of pain before fading away to nothing. Ash looked at Mewtwo who bowed its head in thanks before disappearing to return to its home with the other clone Pokemon in the hopes that it may exist there freely. Ash noticing the lack of the barrier ran over to Misty to see if she was ok.

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Right I really want to get this story done before the 18

**th**** as that is when I'm off to uni. Anyway so sorry about this being late I'll try to have the next two chapters on Sunday and Monday.**


	28. The final battle?

**Right here's the next instalment. And thank you to Pokemaster101 for her reviews. Now please read and enjoy.**

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Ash raced over to Misty and knelt down. He looked up at Brock who was standing next to the orange haired girl. Ash nervously took a hold of the girl's shoulders and gently shook her whilst calling her name softly. Misty stirred and slowly fluttered her eyes open. When Misty saw Ash's smile of relief she could feel her heart rise at Ash's concern over her. Misty was going to kiss Ash, but she saw Brock was standing by to see if she was ok as well. Misty knew if she kissed Ash in front of Brock he would be embarrassed, plus now was not the time. Misty stood up with the help of Brock and Ash pulling her to her feet.

"I think we should get out of here. I mean the grunts are going to notice something and they may capture us" Misty suggested.

"Good point Mist. Although we can't just leave Team Rocket like this, someone will just take over now that Giovanni is definitely gone. If they've lost the one they want in charge then they will resort to getting a new leader rather than finding him like they did last time" Ash explained.

The short black haired boy walked over to the desk and looked at the various buttons on display. Ash surveyed until he saw a red button marked 'self destruct'. Ash looked nervously over to Brock. The spiky haired boy nodded and let out a sigh. Ash hesitantly moved his finger closer to the button. As his digit slowly pushed the button they heard nothing. Ash and his friends had their eyes shut in anticipation. Suddenly an alarm sounded and the room that they were in starting glowing bright red from the alarm lights.

The group shocked at the reaction from the switch decided that they should get out as quickly as possible. Ash remembered Giovanni's Pokemon and returned the Persian and took them with him. 'No Pokemon deserves the pain it's given from its trainer' thought Ash to himself. The group ran out of the large office only to bump into a group of grunts running to check on their leader. The group looked at the intruders with confusion, but not as much when they saw Misty with them. One of the grunts took a look into the office and saw the absence of their boss.

The grunt then looked at the Pokeballs in Ash hands, that he was going to put in his bag, and saw with horror they were the ones their leader had. The grunt's face turned white and he pointed at them gasping weakly. The other grunts looked at the direction being pointed at and soon followed suit. The group ran off to tell other members the bad news, but not before getting out. The trio raced ahead in the other direction so that they don't encounter any large numbers of vengeful grunts.

After running for what felt like an eternity Misty was getting tired. Not from the running, she could handle that, but rather the constant doubts and questions coming from the nervous boy behind her. The orange haired girl had just told Ash that she knew another way out of the base and to stop questioning. Misty smiled to herself when she found a doorway and looked boastfully at the doubting Thomas behind her. Ash felt a little embarrassed now at all his questions to Misty.

As they opened the door they noticed it was a very large open area. Misty noticed there were no doors to leave the area, but there were some windows. Misty moved quickly over to the window and saw the hangar with the grunts getting ready to evacuate the building before it exploded. 'Great I must have taken a wrong turning; we'll just have to break through this window then' thought Misty to herself.

"Well, well, well don't we all look lovely today" came a sarcastic tone from behind the trio.

Ash knew that voice and sharply turned his head to be greeted with a tall short blond haired man with blue piercing eyes. The man had a smart smile on his face as he looked at the three people he had 'happened' to have come across. Ash recognised the man as the one who had always been there in the shadows as if directing something and it seemed appropriate that what would seem to be the final obstacle would be him.

"What are you doing here Luord?" Ash asked suspiciously.

The man let out a hearty chuckle and replied with "Me? I work here. Don't know about you though…"

Ash could feel himself get annoyed at the cocky man's response "We are here to stop Team Rocket and that includes you.

Ash's annoyance had clouded his concentration; however Misty who was normally calm around Luord noticed something odd about him. The tall blond man was surrounded in a powerful dark aura. Before Misty could look deeper Luord's voice snapper her out of her thoughts.

"Well I would ask if you'd like a little match to settle things, but it would appear to me that you are short of aura and six fully healthy Pokemon" Luord said smartly.

Before Ash could retort to the remark made by Luord he was beaten to it by another. "I'll take his place."

Ash looked over surprised to see Misty standing strongly against the tall blond man. The man in question looked surprised at the orange haired girl suddenly piping up. 'This may get interesting' thought the tall man. Ash could not think of anything worse than to lose Misty against Luord.

"No Misty don't, he could kill you." Ash said concernedly.

Misty looked over to Ash and glared at him "What, do you think I can't beat him?" Misty said snapping.

"No it's just that I don't want to lose you again…" Ash said softly.

Misty could feel her face turn into a sincere smile at Ash's care for her. For a moment Misty had forgotten about everyone in the room and it was just her and Ash, just how she always wanted it to be. Sure she like Brock and her other friends and family, but if she were to be stuck in a room with Ash for life, that would not be a total nightmare for her. The girl was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of someone clearing their throat. The trio looked over at the blond man smiling and giving a wave to them.

"I see the predicament you're in, why don't we make a change of rules? How about I give you the offer of trading half of your aura and three of your Pokemon's aura to Ash and his Pokemon? Of course not without your permission Misty" Luord said smirking.

Misty listened to all that Luord had said and then came up with her answer: "Fine".

Ash looked worriedly over to Misty who stood bravely. She looked over to Ash and gave him a reassuring smile. That smile changed to one of grimace as Luord snapped his fingers together. Misty let out an ear piercing scream as she felt her very soul being split in half and torn away. Then Ash felt his body rise as he was overwhelmed with life. He felt his aura grow strong until he felt his body fill with energy. His Pikachu that was being held in his arms perked up and awoke from being unconscious.

Ash walked over to Misty and tried to support her through her pain. He held the girl and laid her gently on the floor while stroking her stomach. Misty had never this pain of losing aura before as she had always played so well, but to experience not one, but three loss of Pokemon all at once was overwhelming. Misty could feel Ash holding her hand and gripped it as she could feel the pain slowly become numb. Misty slowly stood up with the help of Ash lifting her to her feet. Misty was sure that out of the corner of her eye she could see Luord didn't have his usual smirk on, yet when she was back on her feet looking at the blond man he had regained his cocky grin.

"Now that we've sorted out the rules, how about we start the game?" Luord said smugly.

Misty and Ash nodded and sent out their respective Pokemon. Ash had chosen one of the three Pokemon that had been revived. The Pokeballs burst open to reveal Misty's Politoed and Ash's Donphan. Ash smiled at the Politoed as he remembered it from their Johto journeys. 'I remember that water Pokemon was one of her favourites along with Corsola' recalled Ash. Luord smirked and decided to bring back a few memories for Ash. The blond man snapped his fingers and his two Pokemon burst out of the Pokeballs.

The two released Pokemon consisted of Absol and Sableye. The dark Pokemon stared intensely at the Donphan they had fought before, however they also scanned the water Pokemon that they had yet to fight. Ash remembered how Luord had worn down the time so that he would lose, but this time he had Misty on his side and he hoped that would change the outcome.

"Now let's see how much haste you have in you. Sableye mean look and Absol perish song" Luord said confidently.

"Donphan use defence curl" Ash ordered.

"Politoed use body slam" Misty instructed.

Absol opened its mouth and let out a beautiful tune. The song carried on for a few bars before ending on a deathly note. Ash and Misty's Pokemon let out a shudder as they felt an odd sensation run up their spine. Ash this time did not hear the song, but this time Luord used his aura for a different reason. The aura had controlled the sound to protect his Pokemon from being hit by the effects of the song. Sableye to prevent escape stared intently at the two Pokemon and stuck them in place.

With one flash of the eyes neither of Ash's or Misty's Pokemon could leave in the state that they were in. However this did not mean they could not fight back. Donphan, though scared by the gaze of the crystal eyed Pokemon, curled its strong body into a ball. The move did not only increase its defence, but also set it up for a stronger rollout attack. Politoed stuck its belly out then jumped into the air. The large water Pokemon then started to fall as it shot down onto the Pokemon that had targeted it for mean look.

Ash looked worriedly over to Misty who clearly had no idea that Sableye was also a ghost as well as a dark Pokemon. The Politoed crashed its body into the ground as its body fazed through the ghost Pokemon. Misty let out a gasp of surprise at seeing the attack fail. The ghost Pokemon re-materialised after its opponent had phased through it. Luord let out a chuckle at Misty's recklessness. 'Wow she's as reckless as champ over there' thought Luord. Ash and Misty looked at their Pokemon who grown weak after the dark aura around grew stronger.

"Mist look the perish song is getting stronger. We have to act fast." Ash informed.

Misty nodded and said "Politoed use mega punch on Donphan".

"Donphan use rollout" Ash said in combination with Misty.

The ground Pokemon had already curled up into a ball from the defence curl and now it started spinning on the spot. The frog Pokemon jumped behind its ally and started swinging its arm. After building enough momentum it then hit the rolling ball and send it flying forwards to its opponents like a cannonball.

"Absol use psycho cut to send Donphan to Sableye and Sableye use detect" Luord said confidently.

The dark Pokemon began to charge a purple glow of energy in its blade. As the blade grew stronger from the psychic energy, the rolling boulder grew closer to its target. Just before Donphan could connect with Absol the dark Pokemon tilted its head and aimed its blade mounted on its head at the spinning Pokemon. The blade gently pushed the ground Pokemon and turned it to one side. The curled up Pokemon was then changed on its course over to Sableye. The purple Pokemon's eye glinted as it detected the racing Pokemon.

The ghost Pokemon then perfectly phased out when its opponent was about to strike it. Ash looked at his and Misty's failed attempt at knocking out Luord's Pokemon in one fell swoop. Ash looked nervously over to Misty who seemed as nerved as him. 'I remember last time when he was able to stop every one of my attacks and then beat me' thought Ash. Ash then looked over to Luord who chuckled again at his predicament.

"Nervous kiddo? Just cause your last attack didn't hit doesn't mean it hasn't done anything. Think about it" Luord said smirking.

"Why would you help us out? You could be trying to trick us" Ash questioned.

"True I could. But this wouldn't be a very fun game if it ended just like that. No matter what happens I know I'm going to win regardless of what you say" Luord said stubbornly.

"Stubborn" muttered Ash.

Misty smiled and said cheekily "Wow Ash. You and he are more alike than you realise".

The blond man let out a loud roar of laughter at Misty's comment. Ash could feel his cheeks heat up from Misty's comment. He glared at his so called 'friend' mocking him. 'This is supposed to be a battle not a get together' thought Ash with annoyance. Ash didn't know why, but from just looking at the tall man, he wanted nothing more than to defeat the man. Ash, not wanting this moment to go on any longer ordered his final attack with Donphan.

"Donphan use rollout again" Ash ordered.

"Nice try, but not good enough. Absol use psycho cut and Sableye use detect like before" Luord instructed..

Something clicked in Misty's head and she said "Politoed use water gun at Sableye."

The toad Pokemon opened its mouth and shot out a jet of water. The water rather than hitting the ghost Pokemon went through it and hit the ground. The water sloshed around the area and moved to where Absol was. As the purple energy grew stronger the dark Pokemon got ready to turn its target away. As it put all of its weight on its feet the dark Pokemon lost its footing on the wet surface and fell to the ground. The ground Pokemon then crumpled over the bump and raced over to its final foe.

Sableye then used detect for the third time however something odd happened.

Misty smiled at her little plan. Sableye failed to detect the attack and faced the full force of the attack. 'I knew Sableye couldn't keep using detect she thought triumphantly to herself. Despite being a physical attack, it was able of hurting the ghost Pokemon due to it being a rock move. Ash look in amazement at Misty's planning abilities. Then Ash felt a sharp stabbing pain in his side as did Misty. They both fell to the floor groaning in pain.

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Right sooooo sorry about the delay, but my internet is abysmal. Anyway I hope to have this story done in this weekend so please tell me what you thought.


	29. Tying up loose ends

**Right here is the next chapter and we are near the end might I say:D. Anyhoo please enjoy this chapter.**

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Ash craned his head over to where his Pokemon was. It was lying on its side, unmoving. Ash then looked over to Misty's Pokemon who too was lying in a similar fashion. 'Damn the perish song must have ended' thought Ash. Misty winced as she stood to her feet as did Ash. The black haired boy looked across the room to see his opponent wincing in pain. Unlike the other members of Team Rocket Luord did not hide his pain. Ash found that ironic a man who seemed to 'keep his cards to his chest' would show something like his pain which would be a weakness in battle.

Misty returned her Pokemon as did Ash. Before they sent out their Pokemon they decided to wait and looked at Luord to imply that he would send out his Pokemon first. The blond man smiled at this and sent out his next Pokemon. The twin Pokeballs burst open to reveal a Sharpedo and a Cacturne. Misty and Ash retaliated with their own Pokemon. The two Pokeballs opened to reveal a Gyrados and a Snorlax. Misty smiled at the combination chosen. 'Two power Pokemon working together? This should be easy' thought Misty confidently.

"Gyrados use flamethrower on Cacturne" Misty ordered.

"Snorlax use giga impact on Sharpedo" Ash said following up.

"Sharpedo use aqua jet on Snorlax and Cacturne use sucker punch" Luord said countering them.

The large water Pokemon opened its mouth and released a trail of flames at its opponent. The tall grass Pokemon let out a deep chuckle and vanished from view. The pinned Pokemon then reappeared and slammed its fist into the face of Gyrados. The water snake Pokemon let out a cry of pain and its head was titled away. The flamethrower attack then missed its target and hit the wall aimlessly. Ash saw Misty's attack fail, but he planned that his would succeed.

Snorlax stood to its feet and ran at full speed at its opponent. The shark Pokemon started to form water around its body to allow movement. After building enough water to move the predator Pokemon struck. It shot along the water and towards the charging boulder Pokemon. As the two Pokemon collided, the water Pokemon was shot back from the elasticity of the belly. Sharpedo flew back and let out a cry of pain as it crashed into the wall. Ash smiled at his successful attack until he saw something was wrong. He saw Snorlax was rubbing its stomach with its paw.

'That's odd. I've never seen anything like that happen before' thought Ash. As he looked deeper he saw a red mark on the belly. Ash wondered why that was there, after Sharpedo had only collided into Snorlax, it didn't use its teeth. Suddenly something clicked in his head and he looked over to the skin of the shark Pokemon. As he looked harder he saw that the skin was very rough. 'That's it. It must have rough skin ability' concluded Ash. After realising that he decided to avoid using physical attacks.

"Sharpedo use skull bash and Cacturne use needle arm" Luord said calmly.

"Gyrados use hyper beam this time" Misty cried out.

"Snorlax use oh wait…" Ash said realising his error.

Ash had forgotten that after using giga impact that Pokemon had to rest afterwards. Something that Snorlax would not take lightly. The large normal Pokemon lied back and rested for its energy to return. As it was relaxing, Sharpedo was charging itself to send its body at the hurtling at the overweight Pokemon. Elsewhere Misty's Pokemon opened its jaw and released a powerful yellow beam from its mouth and shot it at its foe. Simultaneously the cactus Pokemon charged at the water Pokemon.

As the beam shot out the grass Pokemon side stepped to one side and swung its pinned arm at the water Pokemon. The water snake Pokemon turned its head quickly and caught the swinging arm in the beam. The force tore the arm back and succeeded in not only in defending itself, but also greatly injuring its opponent. Cacturne let out a cry of pain as the beam burned the pins on its arm and greatly numbed the muscles in its arm. Gyrados like its ally had to rest after delivering such a powerful attack. Luord didn't look bothered from the injury inflicted upon by Misty's Pokemon and that bothered her.

"Now Sharpedo strike and Cacturne use synthesis" Luord shouted excitedly.

"Snorlax use rest" Ash cried out.

Misty glared at her hard work going down the drain. She saw the previously injured arm being healed. Cacturne let out a deep mocking chuckle at the orange haired girl. The right arm that it had been burnt was now glowing a bright white as it began to heal. To further dig in the fact that Misty's attack was all for naught, the grass Pokemon began rotating its arm to show it was fine. Luord let out a chuckle at the humour that his Pokemon possessed.

Snorlax's eyelids felt very heavy as it started to drift off. Luord had other plans and ordered his Pokemon to strike the heavy Pokemon. He hoped that the attack would prevent rest from taking affect and therefore preventing the large Pokemon from healing itself. The water Pokemon propelled its body like a torpedo with the use of its strong body muscles. The shark Pokemon flew through the air and into the target. Once again as Sharpedo damaged Snorlax it caused another red irritation on its belly.

The force was strong enough to snap Snorlax out of falling asleep. The large Pokemon tried to fall asleep, but the itching and stinging pain on its belly prevented that. 'Great, every attack it does not only wears Snorlax down, but also caused a horrible rash' thought Ash worriedly. Ash and Misty looked at their respective friend's problems empathetically.

Ash ran up to his Snorlax and whispered the command to which it nodded in agreement.

"Gyrados use flamethrower" Misty shouted out.

"Sharpedo use crunch and Cacturne execute last resort" Luord said smirking.

Snorlax eyed the water Pokemon and judged its aim. The Pokemon then ran forward with it stomach puffed out and charged at its foe. Sharpedo lied in wait until it was time to strike and it leapt into the air with its teeth bared. As it leapt high in the air it fell swiftly like a missile aimed at the soft ear on Snorlax's head. The large shark Pokemon came closer and closer and then sunk its teeth down. It then opened its eyes after clamping down and saw its opponent put its hand in the way in time so that would be bitten. The tubby Pokemon glared and pulled off the water Pokemon and lob it into the air.

As the Pokemon slowly fell to the ground it was hit with the full force from the speeding Pokemon. The momentum from Snorlax was transferred into the shark Pokemon causing it to become sent crashing backwards. Cacturne smirked at the water Pokemon as it was about to released the burning flames from its mouth. As the jaws holding back the flames opened something caused Misty to have the upper hand entirely. Sharpedo had been hit perfectly so that it would collide with the grass was smiling at Ash's resourcefulness, but still did not seem worried. As Gyrados released the flames from its mouth, they absorbed and captured the two Pokemon, burning them to cinder.

Misty looked over to Ash and mouthed a 'thank you' to him. Ash smiled sincerely back at her, yet their little moment was broken by Luord's groan of pain. The duo looked over to the man on his knees grabbing his stomach. The man chuckled and pointed at their Pokemon. A dark aura was covering Misty's began to grow and grow and grow until it completely consumed it and left it devoid of consciousness. Misty looked in horror at her once strong Pokemon, who had been reduced to nothing, and worst of all Misty had no idea how it happened.

She looked over to Ash's Pokemon Snorlax. The large Pokemon had further the pain on its torso by hitting Sharpedo with its stomach, until the pain was too much to endure. Ash and Misty felt a serious pain rush through their bodies. Ash fell to the floor and curled his body up as he prayed for the pain to leave him. Misty was on her knees experiencing a stabbing pain in her head. She also could see bright spots in her vision. As they could feel the pain weaken they looked up to Luord who was on his hands and knees coughing painfully. The man raised his head and smirked.

"Funny how execute last resort sounds so much like destiny bond" Luord said smirking.

Ash then realised that by trying to help out Misty he instead caused her great pain. 'If I hadn't of interfered she might not be in this pain' thought Ash. He looked to his left to see Misty moving next to him and hugging him softly. The girl whispered softly into his ears that it wasn't his fault. Ash felt secure at the fact they were in perfect synch. Misty had read Ash's face like a book and knew he was upset about giving her Pokemon an easy target, but she knew it wasn't his fault and comforted him. Misty looked over to see Luord's face. Misty looked at the smile on his face and saw it looked odd. It wasn't his usual smug one it was something different…

Misty's train of thought was broken by Ash's shuffling. He moved out of Misty's soft embrace and returned his Pokemon. Misty followed suit and returned her Pokemon. Luord stood up straight and returned his two Pokemon. He then sent out his final two Pokemon. The two Pokeballs burst open to reveal a large Tyranitar who let out an earth shattering roar and a Houndoom who let out a loud howl. Misty stood up and sent out her last Pokemon. The ball burst open to reveal her Staryu who let out a masculine cry. Ash looked over to his Pikachu who had been cheerleading for them the whole time. Ash smiled and asked his pet Pokemon a little question.

"You ready Pikachu?" Ash asked smiling.

"Pika" said Pikachu excitedly.

Pikachu and Staryu both entered the area for their respective trainers whilst Houndoom and Tyranitar were representing their trainer.

"Tyranitar use earthquake and Houndoom use protect" Luord ordered.

"Staryu use rapid spin" Misty ordered.

"Pikachu jump into the air with iron tail" Ash ordered.

The large dinosaur Pokemon let out a tremendous roar as it crashed its foot onto the ground. The force shattered ground and caused many rocks and boulders to go flying into the air. Houndoom had created a protective barrier around itself so that the attack would not hurt it. The other two Pokemon had a harder task ahead of them. Staryu used its speed to propel it into the air as it span faster and faster it shot through the air like a shurikun. Inevitably there were several boulders that were knocked into the air and into the path of the spinning Pokemon.

Misty took this as her cue to help out her own Pokemon. She lent some of her aura to her Pokemon which converted it into a spinning buzz saw. The star Pokemon then easily cut through every rock in its path. Ash watched Pikachu charge energy into its tail until it had become as hard as steel. The little electric Pokemon then flipped high into the air with the use of pushing off with its tail. As the Pokemon shot into the air it then nimbly bounced off the obstacles in the air.

As the mouse Pokemon bounced off the rocks if met a final giant stone that obscured its path in the air. Ash took Misty's idea and charged his energy into Pikachu's tail. As the tail grew stronger the little yellow Pokemon gained the courage to swing its tail at the obstruction. The iron tail sliced straight through and cut a path for Pikachu. The two Pokemon returned to where they were standing to face their opponents. Luord clapped his hands at the impressive skill he had seen. Then a sad expression grew on his face.

"It is a shame that I have to end this, but by not releasing my full power I would merely be patronising you. I have to say I've had fun with you kids. Now Tyranitar, Houndoom use hyper beam" Luord ordered.

As he gave his order the two Pokemon opened their mouths and released a beam of pure energy at Pikachu. Houndoom had jumped onto Tyranitar's shoulders preventing a vertical escape while Tyranitar made sure its foe could not move horizontally. The two beams connected and were strengthen by the aura given to them by their master. The powerful hyper beam shot through and consumed the electric Pokemon, though it did so much more than that. The beam shot through the yellow Pokemon and into Ash.

The black haired boy let out a scream of pain as the beam tore his skin and burnt his body. Misty could only stand by as she watched her lover be mangled by the attack. She Misty felt her fill to the brim with tears, but she stopped when she heard a sound. She saw Ash was standing weakly after the ferocious attack. 'Oh thank goodness for his determination' Misty thought. She ran over to Ash and hugged him. Misty then immediately let him go and apologised after she realised how sore he was after that ordeal.

"Now use hyper beam again" Luord ordered.

Misty looked up to see the two Pokemon charging their attacks. Misty had no idea how long it had been since she went over to be with Ash, but it must have been a long time or maybe Luord had used his aura to speed up the recharge rate. Ash looked over to his Pikachu and saw that it was barely breathing and then looked over to Staryu. Ash realised that the same attack would almost knock out Misty's Pokemon and greatly hurt her. Ash thought of all the times she had been there to comfort and look after him and even on some occasions protect him and realised now was the time he saved her.

Ash pushed Misty so that she fell to one side on the ground. Ash then raced in front of Staryu and threw it to one side. Then the beam shot straight ahead at Ash. It had been aimed for Staryu, but it hit the new target and reduced the once brave boy to a mangled burnt body. Misty rubbed her head and looked up to see her Pokemon ok. She smiled until she saw who took its place. Misty let out a high pitch scream as she ran over to what could properly be called 'ash'. Misty held his body and sobbed uncontrollably

Luord had intended that attack for the water Pokemon, but as soon as Ash switched with Staryu there was no time to call off the attack. Luord felt uncomfortable at this moment and just wished he had hit the original Pokemon. Though he knew he had to carry his plan on.

"Hyper beam once more" Luord ordered.

As Luord ordered his attack Misty raised her head from Ash and glared viciously at the blond man. Misty stood to her feet. Eyes red from crying, hands shaking with rage and heart thumping with adrenaline. Misty felt pure fury at the man in front of her.

"HOW COULD YOU TRY AND KILL MY ASH!" screamed Misty on the top of lungs.

Misty refused to let it end now and knew if she was going to die, then she would take him with her.

"Now use counter" cried Misty.

Staryu shot in front of Misty and took the hit. Originally the attack would have made the star Pokemon faint, but not this time. Somehow Misty's love and sorrow over Ash had overwhelmed her aura and that spread to her Pokemon. With the added strength the water Pokemon was able to take in the double power and use it as its own. Then the starfish Pokemon began to glow a bright white as it changed. The jewelled Pokemon glowed brightly until it began to evolve? The Staryu imbued with a new found strength turned into a Starmie without the use of a water stone.

"NOW RELEASE ALL YOUR STRENGTH AND KILL THAT MONSTER WHO HURT MY ASH!" screamed Misty.

"Tyranitar use stone edge and defend, Houndoom protect now" Luord ordered.

The large dinosaur Pokemon slammed its foot on the ground and caused multiple rocks to shoot out and surround the two Pokemon. Tyranitar then ripped one stone out of the ground and held it in front of it as a shield. Houndoom then used it energy to create a large dome to protect it and its ally. Staryu then released the energy in the form of a hyper laser rather than a physical attack as would be done with counter. The laser then shot at the protect dome and cracked it as if it was glass.

The laser then pierced through the stone and straight through the rock Pokemon. The laser did not stop and shot through the fire Pokemon, but it did not stop there either. The laser travelled to the tall man who felt the laser hit his heart and almost burn it. The man tall felt the laser at full force and it knocked him onto his back. The two Pokemon fell to the ground out of energy and fainted. The dark aura around Luord disappeared leaving a man to greet death. Misty devoid of energy slumped to the ground and fell next to her Ash. She linked fingers with him and lied there until darkness took over.

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The final chapter will be on Sunday. Please tell me what you thought. Thank you.


	30. The knot comes undone

**Right here is the final instalment of the story, though to be honest I have been thinking about making a sequel called 'Nothing's changed'. Anyway please enjoy.**

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Misty slowly opened her eyes and looked in front of her and saw the body of Ash lying next to her. Misty then sat bolt upright and looked around her. To her relief she was not in the same room that she had fallen unconscious in. Misty let out a content sigh as she noticed from the décor around her. Misty deduced that she was in a hospital. Then the orange haired girl remembered what she had seen first when she woke up. She looked over to Ash who was in the same bed as her.

Misty lifted his shirt and to her relief he was not brutally scared. There were only a few burn marks covering his body. 'That's odd. I remember him getting worse punishment than that' thought Misty. As the girl thought deeply she heard the doors open. She looked over at the source of the sound and saw Brock and May walk into the room. The two looked relieved at the sight of Misty conscious and well. Brock could tell that Misty had questions to ask him.

"Brock what happened?" Misty asked curiously.

Brock took a deep breath and prepared himself for another one of his long explanations. "You see Misty after you fainted from knocking Luord on his back the base started to blow up. I sent out my Onix it carried you guys in its jaw. After piling you two and your Pokemon into Onix we crashed out of the building and over to this Pokecentre" Brock said explaining.

"Yeah and Dawn and I had been knocked out by Aeleus, but Paul managed to defeat him, but in the process Paul was rendered unconscious as well. Luckily the alarm woke me and Dawn up and we got out with Paul to this Pokecentre" May said smiling.

"Wait where are Paul and Dawn?" asked Misty again.

"Oh Paul's was still out cold when we brought him so Dawn took up the job of watching over him" May answered.

Misty could feel a stirring next to her. She felt a body slowly move itself. Misty looked over and saw Ash open his eyes weakly. Misty smiled with delight as the spiky haired boy opened his eyes and smile softly at her. Misty wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close. Ash returned the gesture and held his loved one close. May and Brock could not help, but be touched by this sight. Ash noticed that Brock and May were there. Ash's face turned red and he nervously released Misty, who smiled at his boyish charm. Then a few questions popped into his head.

"Wait what happened to Luord?" asked Ash.

"Well last that I saw he was on his back, without his aura, ready to fade away." Brock said.

"Did you save his Pokemon" asked Ash worriedly.

"No I'm sorry but there wasn't enough time" Brock said regretfully.

Ash felt a strong pang of sympathy in his body for the poor trapped Pokemon. Ash looked down at his hands and saw he had only slight burns on his hands. 'Wow I must have been out for while to heal from the attack that hit me' thought Ash. Rather than keep this thought to himself he decided to ask his next question.

"Guys how long were we out for?" asked Ash.

"Oh only about a day" Brock replied.

"Wait then how do I have barely any burn marks on my body?" asked Ash.

"Well when Misty fell to the floor she was next to you and she linked her hands with yours. As you lied there her body naturally took over and did what it desired most to do. It released aura from Misty to heal the burns on your body. I have to say it worked very well so I decided to leave you two in the same bed" Brock said.

Ash looked at his arms in amazement. 'It seems that this aura power has more to it than just strengthening Pokemon' mused Ash. Misty smiled at her connection with Ash. 'Clearly I do love him. I hope we never have to part again' thought Misty happily. Misty looked down at her hand that was touching his arm and saw it was glowing a very faint blue. Misty couldn't but help smile at this.

"Wait where are Paul and Dawn?" Ash asked.

"Oh Paul fought Aeleus and defeated him, but he was knocked out in the process, luckily May and Dawn got him out in time. Dawn is watching over Paul" Brock explained.

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The toilet made a loud flushing sound as the handle was pulled. Dawn left the cubicle and washed her hands. After drying them the blue haired girl happily skipped back to Paul's room to keep an eye on him. As the girl opened the door she was met with the sight of Paul out of his bed and shoving his belongings into his bag. Dawn was taken a back by this.

"Er Paul what are you doing?" Dawn asked nervously.

"Packing" Paul said bluntly.

"Oh you're not staying. I was hoping you would stick around for a bit after you awoke" Dawn spoke softly.

"I'm not" Paul said bluntly again.

"Oh" said Dawn a bit disappointed.

The blue haired girl watched the long haired boy shoved his clothing into his bag quickly. Dawn slowly walked around to get a look at his face, but his head was hung down so he could have a good look at all the things he was putting away. Dawn had something on her mind, but she was hesitant about mentioning it.

"Erm Paul" Dawn said quietly.

"What?" said Paul clearly agitated.

"Er it's just that I saw you in the forest when you gained that aura and then in Team Rocket's base I saw you overwhelmed by Aeleus's aura and its just that…I'm worried and…" Dawn spoke.

Before she could finish her sentence she was pinned against the wall by the determined boy. He hadn't hurt her but he had trapped her back against the wall. The terrified little girl was staring right into Paul's eyes. Rather than his usual frosty look that he had in his eyes it was replaced with a burning rage. Paul had both his hands holding onto her arms and had claimed total dominance over the scared girl. Paul whispered into the blue haired girl's ear. At that point Dawn could have died right then.

"What you saw will never be told to anyone. Got it?" Paul whispered harshly.

Dawn was frozen with fear and could not respond to the question posed to her. She was just fixed on his burning gaze as it overwhelmed her. Dawn could feel her knees go weak from the stare. The only thing holding her up was Paul holding her up. Paul glared at the lack of a response and repeated his question to the timid girl he held captive.

"Got it?" Paul whispered again in a harsher tone.

"Y- yes." Dawn said weakly.

"Good" Paul said bluntly.

He released his captive and walked over to his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He then walked over to the door. He gave Dawn one final look before leaving the room and Dawn.

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"Well I'm just glad this is all over" May said sighing.

The group heard the door open to see a weak Dawn. The girl slowly walked over to a chair and collapsed into it. Dawn began to think about the predicament that she was in. So much so that she did not realise that her friends were talking to her.

"Hey Dawn how's Paul?" Brock asked.

Dawn sat still and started to fidget with her fingers as she was put on the spot. 'Oh no. What should I say? I should tell them the truth about Paul' Dawn contemplated to herself. As she made up her mind a flash of Paul staring into her eyes changed her decision entirely.

"He said he was going to train for a tournament that was coming up" Dawn said deceitfully.

The group accepted the statement as true and wondered what tournament Paul could be going for. Dawn kept silent and kept thinking about her encounter with Paul. The thought of him being that close to her sent shivers down her spine, yet it left an odd after feeling.

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The group had made their way to their respective homes. May had gone back to Petalburg city to see her family, Brock had gone to Pewter city to see his family and Dawn had left though her explanation where she was going was unclear. Misty and Ash made their way to Cerulean city where they planned to live out their lives. Ash had planned after getting settled in Cerulean he would go and see his mother.

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Ash walked into the bedroom with Misty that she said would now be 'their bedroom. Misty could not help but feel happiness at Ash's blush. 'He's so sweet' thought Misty. She took a step forward and pressed her lips softly against Ash and held him closely. Ash wrapped his arms around her waist and fell back taking his best friend with him. As the two fell back Misty let out a gasp of surprise at Ash's new found confidence. As the young lovers were heavily making out their little session was disrupted by the door opening. The couple turned to see Daisy standing by the doorway giggling.

"Ah you guys look so sweet together. Just like a real couple" Daisy said giggling

Misty went bright red at her older sister's comments about how sweet they were together. Ash could feel his body go boiling hot with embarrassment at the sudden intrusion that ruined their moment. Daisy looked at Ash and smiled.

"Well Ash you really have grown into a man haven't you?" Daisy said giggling.

Misty looked at her sister in confusion. The orange haired girl looked over to Ash who was blushing profusely as he tried to cover the erection he had gotten from their heated kissing. Misty could her anger grow at her sister's arrogance to barge in and mock their moment together.

"Get out!" shouted Misty.

"Alright I'll leave you two 'alone'" Daisy said suggestively.

As the blond haired girl closed the door they could still hear the laughing from outside the door. Misty looked over to Ash who was redder than a tomato. Misty smiled and decided to turn a negative into a positive. The orange haired girl stroked Ash's member through his jeans. Misty smiled at Ash's moan and kiss him intently. 'Well at least Ash won't have trouble getting an erection' thought Misty positively.

Daisy was busy telling her sisters about the incident when they all heard a loud scream of pleasure coming from Misty's room. The triplets then all burst into laughter at this.

Ash was lying under the covers naked with Misty and held her close. Ash's head was clear of any thoughts. Until one popped into his head. He began to wonder what would become of the other Team Rocket members. 'Without Luord or Giovanni or even Aeleus they have no leader so they should eventually be rounded up one by one' thought Ash. He reached behind his neck and rubbed it as he remembered the needle that was stabbed into him by that weird man. 'What did he inject me with anyway?' thought Ash.

As Ash thought to himself he felt Misty stir next to him and look up to him. The girl softly kissed Ash and trailed a finger along his chest. Ash then heard the door open to see Pikachu squeaking asking to play with Ash. Ash rolled his eyes and kissed his lover softly. Ash grabbed his clothes and got changed. After picking up a nearby ball he went out to play catch with Pikachu in the mud.

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After playing a fun game with his little friend Ash walked back into the bedroom to see Misty. He saw her naked and brushing her hair. 'She's so beautiful' thought Ash. Misty turned her head and smiled at Ash. She then pointed at the bin behind him and told him to empty it. Ash let out a groan and took the bin out to be emptied. As walked over to the bins he began to think about Luord. Ash though about the battle he noticed that the man had a deeper voice and a strong dark aura around him. Something he had not seen before. Unlike the other auras it was not blue or fiery red. 'Maybe he had learnt of a new way to use his aura' supposed Ash.

As the boy lifted the lid off the bin he saw the net ball he found in the Team Rocket head quarters. Ash began to wonder how the spherical item came to be in the bin. Then he realised he had throw it there by mistake after it got muddy. As he held up the muddy ball he saw that the sun and heat had caused the patches of mud that had solidified around the ball had started to crack. 'Hey that kind of reminds me of…" Suddenly a series of flashbacks crossed his mind.

"_Oh he's always off doing something"_

"_You see if someone can control electricity or has it freely coursing through them, they have electric aura which strengthens electric Pokemon, likewise dark aura strengthens dark Pokemon"_

"_If you must know Luord gave it to me. He said he won it whist he was getting something in that area"_

"_A true gambler can put the odds in his favour"_

"_Please being in Team Rocket I've seen them all. From master balls to stone Pokeballs"_

As the speeches from Realen, Meyd, Aeleus, Luord and Misty ran through his head he began to piece all the information together.

"Oh no" muttered Ash as he dropped the rubbish in his hand.

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Tell me. Just how well were you paying attention?


	31. Author's note

**Just to let you know I've uploaded Nothing's changed so you should find it now. Sorry for the delay.**


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